Persona: Purgatory
by IEF
Summary: What if one day you found your school life turned into one of daily hiding, carnage and massacre? What if the only way for you to fight back was to use the same power of Persona people use to kill others? Can you survive in a school where it's truly survival of the fittest?
1. Chapter 1

** Author's Notes: This was just an idea I had floating around in my head the other day. Just to be clear, no you will _not_ see any of the characters from P3 or P4 here (References here and there, maybe, but no solid introduction involving them. Except for one. I have an arc for that. Also I'm not counting Igor). I'm sorry if that sentence alone will make you decide not to read this. The timeline for this story is just after P3. Forgive me if my English is poor and I reused quite a lot of words; it's been a while since I last wrote anything. Now then...shall we start?**

* * *

><p><em>June 31st<em>

_Today marks the day I officially quit my job. Those fools over at the lab have no idea what they are doing. I figured it best I work alone after overhearing what they thought of my theories. I can understand them being unable to comprehend everything I told them off the bat, but to make a mockery of me even after I've shown them proof?_

_Imbeciles. They sneered at me as I left, but everything I've done so far will not go to waste. I may not have any funding, but at the very least I took every last bit of data with me before I left. Let them jest, I say. Sooner or later my research will bear fruit. We'll see who has the last laugh then._

* * *

><p><em>July 1st<em>

_I continued my work alone, in a private mansion that was supposedly sealed off. Even though I used up most of my remaining funds, at the very least there will be no more interferences here. The university will not be able to find me until at least a few years past, as long as I lay low._

_I followed through my theory of manifesting the very innermost thoughts of a human; their Persona. But the data I collected thus far was all theory. Technically it should work, but I needed a lab rat to make sure._

_Which brings me back to how I should awaken this said manifestation of a human's thoughts. I tried various methods, but it seems the most successful one would be the one involving sound. Sound is a wonderful thing; music can make one's heart relax, or make it nearly jump out of one's ribcage. If I can manage to tune the music to the human brain such that it forces their Persona out..._

* * *

><p><em>July 15th<em>

_It was easy enough to get a lab rat; people these days are desperate for money. It probably seemed like I was throwing cash into his face from his perspective anyway; listen to some music and you get a fixed amount per hour. Who wouldn't take up that offer?_

_I quickly showed him into what I had dubbed the "Test Room". A simple four-by-four room painted white everywhere, with just enough space for the subject to sit down if he wanted. A single security camera would keep him company throughout the process. Locking the door after he stepped in, I turned on the 'music' full blast into the room._

_The subject was unaware of what was going on. I don't blame him; the frequency of the tune cannot be caught by the human ear. Animals who hear this tune have their lifespan shortened considerably; their brains were no developed enough to handle a Persona. But a human..._

_The subject collapsed onto the floor in a fit after five minutes. It appears my theory was off, but only by a little. For a split instance, I could hear two voices coming forth from the subject; one was his, and the other..._

_I quickly shut off the tune and open the door to let him out; it wouldn't do to have someone die on me on the first day. Feigning ignorance was easy, since he was not even aware that there was music playing in the little room he was just in. I arrange for him to come back on the 1st of the next month, and threw in a little extra cash as incentive._

_I immediately start to work on perfecting the tune. As I did, I started to wonder the possibilities of invoking an otherworldly being. If I could have a whole bunch of them on a leash, I can very easily put the world itself under my feet. Starting with the university. But that's for another day._

* * *

><p><em>August 1st<em>

_The subject turned up right on time. I had not been slacking in the meantime either; the tune should not cause any more pain to the subject. He stepped into the room just like before, and once again I turned on the tune after locking the door shut._

_It happened in less than five minutes after the subject entered the room. As I monitored him through the camera, the subject held his hand to his head for a moment. Right after that, there was the unmistakable sound of glass being broken. For a moment I thought it came from outside, but then I realized how absurd that notion was and turned my eyes back to the camera._

_Someone...no, something else was in the room with him. As far as I could tell, it took on the appearance of an angelic being, the light shining forth from it almost blinding me through the camera. I could scarcely make out the outlines of the wings of the being, but it was clear the subject was seeing him in all his glory. The subject was understandably freaked out, but when it was evident that his Persona was not going to harm him, he calmed down a little. I spoke through the door and told the subject to inquire the being's name._

_Raphael. The subject collapsed after answering me, the strain of seeing his Persona apparently too much for him. His Persona glanced at me through the camera before disappearing, and even though I could not even see his face, I could sense the terrible power emitting from it. So this is the power of a Persona?_

* * *

><p><em>August 8th<em>

_I invited the subject back to my abode after a week, and was quite surprised to find that he was in top condition. He had recovered quite quickly, and had come to terms with his new-found power. I bombarded him with questions as he sat on the sofa, and took down notes as he answered._

_It seemed that his Persona was one of the four Seraphims. That much I could guess, since you don't normally meet an angel with the name of Raphael everyday. As unlikely as it seemed, the subject can easily converse with his Persona, and even summon it easily whenever he wants. He did a demonstration of it when I requested, and I took in the sight of the Persona in awe._

_Its skin was tinged purple, and this trait passed onto its large wings that spanned nearly two times its body height. The hair was a surprising blonde, and it was donning a suit of dark blue armor, with a white piece of clothing that had odd golden markings draped loosely on its chest._

_I took a step forward to inspect it closer, but the Persona materialized a sword out of thin air and pointed it straight at me. And when it spoke, I could do naught but tremble at its voice. I stepped back as the Persona requested, and the subject made the Persona dematerialize by fading out slowly._

_I noted that when the subject summoned his Persona, there was the sound of glass shattering. This was an odd discovery, but perhaps that was the sound of the Persona being forced out?_

_Either way, the subject divulged to me that his Persona had shared amazing information about the past with him. I cut him off there; I was not interested in knowing what the past of an angel is. Instead, I questioned his loyalty. Would he swear fealty to me? The subject looked at me oddly as I explained my plans to him. He probably knew he was in the position of power, what with his Persona and all. That was the reason I made the anti-tune. Should the subject refuse, or worse, try to make an attempt on my life with his power, the anti-tune would kick in and cause him to be in pain. A lot of pain._

_The subject agreed after a moment, and told me that it was because his Persona told him it would be wise to side with me. That was quite a surprising turn of events, but it was for the better anyway. I told him to gather up some more test subjects for me in the meantime._

* * *

><p><em>August 21st<em>

_The subject returned with two people in tow; their faces dazed and their eyes unseeing. It was quite clear he brought them here by force, and no doubt with his power of Persona. He dumped them into the room and we proceed with the experiment quickly._

_But there was something wrong; the ones which the subject brought in did not seem to be able to summon their Persona despite hearing the tune. For a moment I wondered what was wrong. Then it clicked. After the subject had acquired his Persona, I had tried for one myself as well. But nothing had happened, and it was the same with the two the subject just brought in._

_I considered a number of factors, but none of it was making much sense. However, I noted that our ages seemed to be the most important factor here. Both of the humans the subject dragged in was well over twenty, and I was personally in my early thirties. The subject himself however, was but a student in high school. On that theory, I told him to leave the humans back where he dragged them from and get some students for the next experiment, and not by force this time. He quietly agreed and left with the two in tow._

_Not willing to wait for him to return, I decided to get another couple of test subjects to help me out in the task. I had told them to meet me the day after. I can't wait to see what kind of Persona they possess._

* * *

><p><em>August 23rd<em>

_Now this was just plain intriguing. Somehow, I couldn't manage to get the Personas of the subjects out, no matter how hard I tried. I had to apologize and send them off awkwardly when nothing happened at all to the three of them._

_This might mean that not everyone had enough potential to become a user. Perhaps I merely struck gold with test subject no.1. Nonetheless, I have no choice now but to await his return._

* * *

><p><em>September 13th<em>

_Success! I managed to awaken the Personas of the five students the subject brought in. So it was clear then that only teenagers would be able to have Personas. Whether or not they stay with them throughout their lives would be another matter. I ponder over why only teenagers could awaken their Personas as I made tea earlier._

_Maybe it was due to their adolescent minds, or even their hormones. It was definitely odd though. Perhaps because they were at the perfect age to decide on how they should live their lives? Ha. Either way, I had made several interesting discoveries since the last entry._

_Firstly, it would appear each Persona can be linked to a major being in history. Raphael, for instance, is a well known angel. I had several other Persona users whose Persona were beings from ancient times, ranging from demons to angels to legendary human figures. What a person's Persona is would normally tell you a lot about that person. For instance, if one is consumed by greed, the chances that his or her Persona would be Beelzebub would be quite high. The opposite is true if one's innermost feelings are of the lawful type. Perhaps they can even get an angelic Persona like the test subject?_

_Secondly, each Persona appears to be linked to an Arcana. It was difficult linking some of them to their Arcanas, since they made no sense, but Raphael explained that there was a reason for doing so. Some were blatantly obvious, like a succubus being in the Devil Arcana, but some, like Raphael being in the Lovers Arcana, could hardly be explained. Then again, his name does mean 'One who heals'..._

_Thirdly, not all Persona are as agreeable to their users as Raphael. Out of the five, three tried to kill their users. Was Raphael not there, I would have had a serious problem on my hands. Perhaps forcefully awakening one's Persona was not as safe as I thought. However, Raphael slaying those wild Personas caused me another problem. See, one's Persona is the manifestation of one's innermost thoughts. And if you kill said Persona, you essentially kill one's ability to think. The five walked out of my place like zombies, the light in their eyes all but gone. I felt a twinge of regret for ruining their lives, but this is in the name of science, I suppose._

_I also noted that thus far, all of the people that the test subject brought in had had the potential to be Persona users. Maybe he has the ability to sense whether a person could be a user or not. Either way, this will prove useful for me._

_I probably need a tune to forcefully shut down, or at least limit one's ability to summon his or her Persona once it awakened, but that would take quite a while. Besides, who would notice a couple of zombies with the busy state society is in these days?_

* * *

><p><em>October 18th<em>

_The test subject came to my mansion today with an interesting piece of rumor for me. It appears that the ones I've awoken aren't the only ones with Personas. So it would seem that others have naturally found their talent for Personas as well...this is interesting news. But that wasn't all the subject had to tell me._

_Raphael confirmed my earlier suspicions, and told me that he had sensed the presence of a Persona user in a distant town, and that the subject had tailed said user throughout the whole town until the user returned to his dorm. It would appear there were others inside the dorm with the ability to use Personas as well, but the user whom the subject tailed was an interesting case. Raphael sensed not one, nor two, but a whole bunch of Personas inside him._

_How was this possible? One could only put on this much of a facade. Was he some kind of actor or something, to be able to have so many Personas?_

_Raphael explained it clearly to me. The 'Wild Card' ability. Out of the sea of Persona users, only a select few have this innate talent to be able to handle Personas of any Arcana, and can easily shift through them to adapt to the situation._

_If I could somehow get this 'Wild Card' user to aid me...well, I suppose I can't just walk up and start babbling away with Personas. The university is still searching for me, after all. I would also have to be careful about whose Persona I awaken from now on; I might have gone a bit overboard with the last experiment, which was why I had to refrain from doing anything but brooding for the past month._

_Still, I managed to get two other good helpers for my cause. Subject no.2 and 3 both pledged their lives to me. It was odd how easily I got them to my side. Maybe awakening one's Persona has more side effects than I thought...doesn't help that the three subjects all have angels as Personas._  
><em>Raphael, Gabriel and Uriel. Now I just need one more to finish my collection.<em>

* * *

><p><em>November 4th<em>

_I told them to choose carefully, and so they did. The four archangels are now united. Michael was a bit of a tough nut to crack though. The user was headstrong and reckless, as expected of the leader. But the other three angels were convincing enough, and he joined my cause after a little resistance. Still, I didn't like the look Michael flashed at me before he faded out._

_Well, my experiments were an incredible success. Perhaps it's time to test out their powers a little bit. I send the four subjects on a little mission to greet the university. Their objective was simple, and would allow me to gauge what the potential of Persona really is._

* * *

><p><em>November 6th<em>

_Amazing. There can be no other word. The university was razed to the ground, as though it never existed. The four subjects walked out without a problem, and no one who saw them even suspected that they were the perpetrators. Perhaps it was due to the archangels' influencing powers, but everyone who saw them walk out of the fire unscathed literally turned a blind eye to them. It was as though they couldn't even see them._

_I read the papers today and laughed at the news on the front page. They suspected an arsonist, but come on, we all know a university as large as that can't possibly be burned down to nothing in less than a quarter of a day. Not to mention there wasn't even any ashes remaining from the flames. No doubt some supernatural investigators would be called in to check the place out. Let them check then; no evidence remained, the archangels assured me that._

_Now that no one else knows about my work, it was time to focus on finding the 'Wild Card' user. But the four archangels all warned me against it, citing that the 'Wild Card' in town harbored a destiny that was to prevent mankind from dying out. I wish I could protest, but how does one defy the commands of an angel?_

_Well, if I can't use the 'Wild Card' that I know the location of, I guess I'll just have to find another one. That would, of course, involve getting a lot of high school students into my mansion. That's actually not a bad idea...why should I resort to having the archangels kidnap students, when I can just open up my own school and use the students there?_

_Of course. I'm an idiot for not thinking of that earlier._

* * *

><p><em>November 15th<em>

_I instructed the archangels to...shall we say, 'persuade' some people to create a new high school from scratch. This new school would be directly beside my mansion, but I'll have to take extra precautions to prevent any extra curious students from knowing what the mansion was used for._

* * *

><p><em>December 3rd<em>

_Construction of the school is going well...maybe too well. I suspect the archangels are helping out with their powers. Well, the faster they do it, the faster I can get a 'Wild Card' user, I suppose. However...what would I do once I found him, or her?_

_The thought never crossed my mind before, but perhaps I might be able to introduce something like a new world order...it isn't sounding so ridiculous now that I know the powers at my disposal. Ironic isn't it? People would see this new world order as supposedly brought forth by the divine whim of the heavens, but in truth it was brought by the archangels listening to the commands of a lowly mortal._

_But something still bugs me...why do the archangels so easily pledge allegiance to me? Sure, I was the one who awakened them, but still..._

* * *

><p><em>January 31st<em>

_Sonofabitch! I caught sight of an enormous being of darkness donning a sword doing combat with people on top of a big tower that seemingly appeared out of thin air. Even the archangels showed signs of fear. When I questioned them, they simply replied with a lone word; "Nyx"._

_The moon itself nearly crashed into the Earth. I could make out every little groove and dent on it as it approached. And all this while, people outside the mansion were flailing around in pain. For some reason, I wasn't even the least bit affected. Neither were the subjects or the angels for that matter; perhaps their divine power rendered us all immune to the effects of the yellow moon._

_Regardless, the moon returned to normal after a while, and everything went back to normal. Well, as normal as normal can get, anyway._

_When I returned home and tried to get some sleep, I was startled to find a figure of another angel hovering beside me as I tossed and turned. Initially I assumed it was one of the archangels, for its form resembled them. But when it didn't respond to my questions of what it was doing here, I took a closer look to the being._

_The archangel looked almost mechanical, with a shining metallic skin tone. In fact, I daresay the only thing organic about it was the hair that it possessed. A larger version of the white cloth with the cross symbol Raphael had was draped over its chest and crotch, but its muscular...mechanical chest was still almost fully revealed._

_The angel expanded its wings as it saw that I had noticed him, the grinding of metal sounding as the beautiful silver feathers stretched themselves outwards. He looked down on me with an expressionless face, the blonde hair on its head a contrast to the silver of his face. And as he spoke, I was thrown into disarray. Even though I had gotten somewhat used to speaking with the archangels despite the power they contained in their voices, this being obviously blew them out of the water._

_He stated his name as Metatron, and claimed that he was my Persona. It would seem the giant moon did affect me after all, but not in the way as it had affected the others humans. What brought to them pain, brought to me my Persona. Now everything made sense. Metatron, the highest ranking angel in the hierarchy. This was the reason the archangels listened to me willingly. This was turning out to be very, very interesting indeed. The next entry shall probably be late. I have experiments to conduct with this power of mine._

* * *

><p><em>March 5th<em>

_It would seem that the 'Wild Card' user passed away today. Metatron sensed his life vanishing from this plane. So much for my plans of getting the user into my little group. Well, nothing to it, I suppose._

_Metatron's powers are astounding. As my Persona, I can summon him to do anything I desire, but as time went by, I realize that the two of us were beginning to think alike. Or rather, I should say that I'm beginning to think exactly like him. It was like he was imposing his will upon me. Another side effect of having a Persona, perhaps. Maybe that was the reason the test subjects were so obedient. They lost themselves to their Personas. It would also explain them responding to their Persona's names instead of their own. Unfortunately, I regret to say that I too am falling under this same condition._

_Metatron has been placing weird ideas into my head lately. Most likely he's trying to create this new world under his rule. The only time I feel like I have some control is when I'm writing this in my diary. The high school's nearly done. I'd probably have enough control left to trigger the event that will allow almost every student in the high school to have Personas. The teachers have already been informed about everything that might happen, and just in case the students get a little too rowdy, I gave each of them an anti-tune. It was good for one use, and lasts just long enough for them to escape. The four archangels took the role of students within the school, establishing order in what would otherwise be an uncontrolled environment._

_I now realize the folly of everything I had done so far. Some things in the universe are just now meant to be toyed around with in human hands. Personas are one of them. The high school was meant to be a facility which will enable me to find the 'Wild Card' I need to conquer this world. Now I find myself looking at it as the only hope of salvation this world has left. I sincerely hope I find a 'Wild Card' user in the pool of students who arrive here. And then maybe, just maybe, they can put a stop to this madness I started. I pray they do._

* * *

><p>Kazou Okumura stopped outside the gates of his new school, sniffing as he looked around the empty fields surrounding the building. With the exception of a single dilapidated mansion,there was nothing else around them within a two hundred feet radius. Not that Kazou cared.<p>

It was the fifth time Kazou had transferred schools, and he wasn't exactly unfamiliar with the part of playing the 'new guy'. He snorted as he took in the sight of the education facilities, and the students entering walking around the courtyard, chattering away excitedly. People like them annoyed Kazou. He was a born loner, and for good reason too. His attitude caused people to judge him negatively, and in return he often judged them back in kind.

It wasn't that he didn't like being around people, but they tend to become annoying a lot. _Especially_ when they learned that his parents had divorced and left him in an orphanage to rot. People would always go 'I'm so sorry to hear that', or some variant of that. Kazou didn't want their sympathy. He disliked people thinking that he missed his parents or something. Kazou's parents can go to hell as long as he's concerned.

A few girls gathered together giggled as they looked at him, and Kazou sighed as he remembered the events in his previous schools. 'Cute', they always said. And then somehow, the word would conform into 'jerk'. It wasn't his fault he lived his whole life with that attitude, and it wasn't like he had not tried to change. He did, and it turned out good...for the first half an hour. Then everyone started getting suspicious about his behavior and thought he was up to no good. In the end Kazou just gave up and changed back to the jerk that everyone knew.

Checking his sling bag to ensure that he had brought the necessary books for the first day of high school, Kazou brushed off from his shoulder a few fallen leaves from the trees around him. To his annoyance, even more of the leaves started to fall around him, and some of it got inside his bag. Kazou made a mental note to flush them all out as soon as he got home, and proceeded on his way into the school.

As he moved, Kazou's brown eyes stole a glance at the name of the school his guardians had enrolled him in. _Pegutori High?_ _More like Purgatory High._

Kazou was sure he wasn't the only one who had had this thought occur to him, for other students were looking at the school name outside the gates with a smirk on their faces. Kazou shook his head as he looked at them, causing his carefully combed back black hair to fall forward and his bangs to fall down over his eyes. He shifted them out of the way easily and rolled his eyes. _This is why I find combing hair redundant. This always happens._

A loud ringing sound echoed throughout the whole school to signify the start of lessons, and Kazou glanced at his watch. He was going to be late, but it wasn't as if he cared. It was only the first day of school, after all. Shrugging, Kazou brushed off another fallen leaf off his black uniform and watched as it clinged to his blue pants. "...Oh come on."

* * *

><p>Before Kazou had realized what happened, he found himself in the toilet flushing out the orange leaves that had fallen into his bag. His original intention had been to do it at home, but his complex hardly allowed him to wait that long. After ten long minutes of combing through the sling bag, Kazou was finally convinced that there were no more leaves remaining.<p>

He had made the smart decision of using the toilet that was directly adjacent to the classroom he was supposed to go to, so Kazou didn't have to waste time searching for his class. Planning everything beforehand was how Kazou liked to do things. Straightening out himself, Kazou took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in," The voice that responded to his knocking sounded young and feminine. Kazou did as the voice requested, and found himself standing before forty-odd students. The teacher was, as he had suspected, young and female. She had her hair tied in a ponytail, and smiled cheerfully at him as he entered. "You're late."

"I know." Kazou replied stoutly. He scanned the classroom and saw that compared to the ones in his previous schools, the ones in Pegutori High were much larger. In fact, it seemed as though there was a large open space at both the front and the back for some odd reason. Seeing a few empty seats at the back, Kazou started to move towards them.

"Oh no you don't," The teacher stopped him. "Latecomers seat in front."

Kazou sighed. People always cause trouble for him. He turned to face the teacher, literally looking down at her. At six feet, he was a good head taller than her. Still, he didn't want to cause any problems for the first day of school. "Fine."

"And also," The teacher continued, "We've already all done our introductions. Shouldn't you at least do yours?"

Kazou dropped his sling bag onto one of the vacant front seats near the right side of the classroom, then walked up and started to write his name on the blackboard with the chalk. Once he was done with that, Kazou immediately stepped back to his desk and sat down, placing his legs on top of the table.

"Kazou Okumura, is it? You can call me Miss Yui. We'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on."

_Now _Kazou was annoyed. _Why do people always have to state the obvious?_

He threw her an impassive look and then turned away. Already he could hear the whispering of his classmates as they made comments on his behavior. Unkind comments, he was sure. Kazou turned the upper portion of his body around and gave a glare at the group busy in discussion about him. One look from those eyes easily silenced the group, and Kazou turned back, satisfied. _If this goes on, I might have to transfer schools again..._

* * *

><p>"Now remember, all of you have to collect the keys to your lockers before you leave the classroom later," Miss Yui's cheery voice spoke loudly across the classroom, but Kazou's mind wasn't taking in the words at all.<p>

Time had passed quickly as Kazou focused on the clouds rolling through the sky outside. It was a good thing he was seated to the right of the classroom, since he could easily look outside through the windows whilst pretending to be paying attention to the teacher.

A loud bell rang, signaling the beginning of break. Each of the students in the classroom walked over to the teacher's table and picked up a key with their names labeled on them. Kazou did the same, then stuffed it into his bag and returned to his desk. Having nothing else to do and with no interest in checking out what food the cafeteria held, he decided to simply laze around on his desk.

Someone tapped on his shoulder, and Kazou turned around scowling. He came face to face with a male student with a tanned complexion, the short brown hair of the student going quite well together with his skin color. Kazou studied the student for a second, noticing that his eyes were colored an unusual green. _Contact lenses...probably one of those fashion wannabes._

"Sup dude?" The student spoke with an odd English accent.

"Nothing. Go away," Kazou wasn't in the mood to converse. He thought placing his head on his bag to pretend to be sleeping would be good enough a sign, but it clearly wasn't working as intended.

"Come on man, we should all try to get along here," The student seemed amused by Kazou's reaction to him. "Your name's Kazou right? I'm-"

"I said, _go away,_" Kazou cut the student off, the malice in his voice cutting through the air of the classroom.

"Jeez fine, okay. You don't have to get all worked up like that, you know?" The student backed off and returned to his seat.

"Humph," Kazou turned back to the front, catching sight of Miss Yui looking at him as he did. "And what the hell are you looking at?"

The teacher merely smiled and turned her eyes back to the paper on her desk, leaving Kazou slightly confused as to what she was thinking.

"Crazy bitch," He muttered as he placed his head on the table once again.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day passed peacefully, although the the students in the classroom were already alerted to how antisocial Kazou was. Already many were stepping out of their way to avoid him when they had to move to the field to check out where they would be taking their Physical Education classes. And more than once, Kazou caught sight of a few students staring in his direction, then turning away abruptly when they noticed him looking at them.<p>

He didn't know what was so difficult to understand about wanting to be left alone. He didn't want to get all happy with everyone and then make a big deal when he had to leave. That was what had happened for the first and second school Kazou had transferred to, and after that he just stopped trying to get all friendly. After all, it wasn't his fault that he seemed to have an aura that made wannabe punks pick on him. And every time they tried to take him on, they got their asses handed to them on a plate. And, of course, he was forced to transfer schools right after that.

"Five damn times. People are so fucking annoying," Kazou mumbled as he looked at the clock. It was almost time to go home.

The bell rang soon enough, and all the students started to pack up and leave. Kazou was amongst the first to stand up, but Miss Yui called out to him before he could leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow...right?"

There was something strange about the way she said it, but Kazou couldn't place his finger on what it was. And besides, she was asking the obvious again. He walked out of the classroom with one hand in the air in the gesture of goodbye. "Whatever."

* * *

><p>Kazou finally reached his apartment after an uncomfortable train ride, and took a quick shower before chowing down on the instant noodles he had prepared. Life without people annoying you was sheer bliss for someone like Kazou, so he had made it a point to move out of his guardians' house as soon as he could. Granted, they still handled all the legal matters about him, such as which school he went to, but that was going to be over in less than two years' time.<p>

He took a look at his small apartment consisting of only one bedroom, a kitchen and the living room, the hardwood underneath his feet starting to make his legs feel a little chilly. He wasn't having anyone in his life anyway, so Kazou was happy enough to have an apartment all to himself. The delivery movers were still in the process of moving his furniture, so there were multiple boxes stacked all around the place. Kazou had decided to unpack them later on in the weekend, so for now all he had for 'furniture' was only the bed and the internet modem. There wasn't anything else much to do, but a post-it note caught Kazou's eye.

_'Note to self : Finish job application.'_

"Damn, knew I forgot something," Kazou cursed and started to rummage through a few of the cardboard boxes, and managed to find what he was looking for : his laptop. Booting it up and going to his email screen, he clicked the 'new' button and started to draft up an application.

Kazou's previous job had been paying him pretty well for what it required him to do, but since he had transferred schools, he found himself too far away from his workplace to be able to remain working there. As such he had no choice but to find a new job, and he had gathered enough flyers to at least guarantee that he would score a job in one of them. Settling in to make himself comfortable on his bed, Kazou started to type away on the keyboard.

* * *

><p>By the time he was finished, it was already dark out. Kazou realized that he had effectively spent the whole of three hours finishing up job applications and perfecting them, and had completely forgotten all about the noodles he had made. Grunting at the now cold noodles as he swallowed them, Kazou started to browse several website forums to see if there was anything interesting happening lately.<p>

Much to his disappointment, nothing of interest had surfaced on the internet. With a sigh, Kazou finished his dinner and considered the time. "10pm, with nothing much to do. Might as well head to bed early."

Kazou started to move his mouse towards the shutdown button, but at the same moment a 'ding' sounded, and a notification informed him that he had received an email.

_A response to one of the job applications? _Kazou wondered as he clicked the email icon and waited for the menu to load. The tiny icon of a yellow envelop greeted him, together with an odd title.

_'This is a test. Delete this immediately.'_

Kazou scoffed at the email. It was probably some stupid joke. The sender, however, made his eyes widen a little. "Pegutori High...?"

_How does the school know my email address?_ Kazou considered the possibilities, then slapped himself on the forehead with his palm. _Those two must have given it to them. Damn, now I'm gonna have lots of homework delivered to me on a daily basis. Great, just great._

Swearing at his guardians who were a few cities away, Kazou decided to click on the email and check its contents anyway. _Perhaps I could unsubscribe myself or something by replying and saying they've got the wrong email..._

The loading bar for his laptop started to load the contents of the email, and Kazou waited patiently. After a minute, he started to move the cursor around to make sure the laptop had not hung itself on him. The loading bar was still going at a snail's pace.

"Strange," Kazou muttered. "Emails normally don't take this long to open."

The bar suddenly jerked forward, indicating that it had loaded successfully. Kazou looked at the scrolling bar on the side and found it ridiculously long. The problem was, there wasn't anything in the email itself but a white blank page. It was as though someone had sent an email and then held shift and space for fifteen minutes straight as the message before sending it to someone.

"Tch...annoying," Kazou scrolled through the email twice to make sure he wasn't missing something, and once he was sure that the contents of the email was nothing but a white page, he decided to click the delete button. The cursor, however, would not respond to the movements of his mouse. "_Now _it decides to hang on me. Really?"

Kazou clicked his tongue in annoyance and decided to wait. There wasn't anything else he could do when his laptop decide to stop responding to him. Normally the wait would be over in thirty seconds or so, but this time nothing happened for a good two minutes. Beginning to get impatient, Kazou started to tap his fingers on the laptop.

After another minute, Kazou found himself fiddling around with his phone, playing a game on it with the touchscreen while occasionally glancing up every few seconds to check if the laptop had loaded. He finished two quick rounds, then stopped and sighed as he looked at the screen of his laptop. It still showed the same things as it did ten minutes ago. The blank page was annoying him to no end, and Kazou decided to just shut the entire machine down by switching off the plug. As soon as he moved the laptop off his legs though, a loud sound that reminded Kazou of glass breaking resonated in the house.

**"Quite an interesting device you got there,"** A mocking voice sounded beside Kazou, causing him to jump in shock. **"Those didn't exist in my time."**

"What the fuck?" Kazou turned towards the source of the voice, and saw an odd man seated beside him in his bed returning his look with an apathetic expression. "Who the hell are you? How did you get in my house?"

**"Humph," **The man didn't make an effort to answer Kazou's question, and stood up from the bed, stretching himself out. Now that he was at a distance, Kazou could easily make out the features of the man before him. His face was refined and handsome, almost inhumanely so. His dark blue hair fell unobstructed to his shoulders, and as the man turned his glinting golden eyes towards Kazou, the latter felt his hair rising. Something told him that the color was not caused by contact .

The man's dress code was also an extreme oddity. He was wearing a loose purple robe around him, but it was tattered off just near the torso, and fully revealed his chest as he moved. His body build was neither too muscular nor too thin; it was evident to Kazou that this person could hold his own in a fight with a good blend of speed and power. The man wore black Hakama pants in place of what would have been covered by the robe had it not been torn off. They were thick and seemed heavy, but the man hardly appeared to care about that at all, if his moving speed was anything to go by.

But that wasn't the most important part of the man that Kazou took in. No, rather, his eyes were drawn to the three objects the man possessed. One strapped on his waist, and two others crisscrossed in a perfect 'X' on his back. Katanas. Each blade was slender and small in width, but their length was long enough for the tip of the katana that the man had strapped to his waist to be touching the floor. And that was saying a lot, considering the man was of even height to Kazou.

Kazou felt his heart pounding against his ribcage, his mouth turning dry as the combination of fear and adrenaline in his body caused him to tremble uncontrollably. He tried his best to sound unafraid, but the trembling probably gave him away as he spoke. "Answer my question, dammit."

**"Do I have to? I thought you hated people asking or stating the obvious," **The man answered as he moved around Kazou's room with an air of elegance. A cruel smile formed on his lips as he continued, **"I art thou, and thou art I."**

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" Kazou didn't know how to make sense of the situation. A random stranger shows up in his room with three weapons in his hands, and then starts speaking in old English. If the tension in the air wasn't so tense, Kazou would have started laughing already. "I don't know what the hell you want, but if it's money, I don't have it. You can see for yourself, I got nothing of value here you can steal, except maybe the laptop."

The man let out a harsh laugh, and for an instance Kazou thought he could see the air around the former distorting, unnaturally warping themselves as the man's unkind laughter filled the house. **"Don't be stupid. Why would I want to steal anything from you?"  
><strong>**  
><strong>"Then what," Kazou's tone was exasperated as he asked the question for the second time, "the hell do you want?"

The man shot him a weird look, as though he was considering the possibility of Kazou really not knowing anything. Seemingly reaching a conclusion, the man pointed a finger at something, and Kazou's eyes trailed along the direction it pointed to until they rested upon his laptop. It had apparently finished loading, and what was originally a blank page now had words on them. **"That object is what awakened me. I presume it would show you what you want to know."**

Unsure if the man was attempting to trick him to let down his guard, Kazou moved warily towards his laptop and started to read the text displayed on the page.

* * *

><p><em>'If you're reading this, let me first congratulate you on awakening your Persona, and not having it kill you upon being released. Attached to this email was a special sound that cannot be heard by the naked human ear. It has been playing for the past few minutes, and was what was required to force your Persona out of the recesses of your mind.<em>

_Now, I have no doubt that you're probably still confused about what's going on, so I'll fill you in. However, I shall only provide a very brief outline of what a Persona is, and what shall be happening in the coming days. If you have any questions about the former, it is recommended that you consult your Persona._

_A Persona is a manifestation of your personality, the thoughts that lurk in the innermost reaches of your mind. Remember this information, for it is extremely important. If your Persona dies, your personality, and effectively, YOU will die along with it._

_From my research thus far, Personas are classified under three different realms, namely the demonic, angelic and legendary humans. You can probably tell which realm your Persona belongs to with a simple glance; their traits show themselves clearly. Pay close attention to what they name themselves; their names very often provide a large hint as to who they were in life, or in death._

_Each Persona is also classified under one of the Arcanas, either major or minor. It is not necessary to know which Arcana your Persona is classified under, but if you so wish you can ask it. It will answer truthfully._

_Summoning a Persona should come naturally to you after you have awakened it. It can be as easy as screaming your Persona's name, to doing some form of complicated ritual. It is up to you which method you choose to invoke your Persona. Take note that generally the higher level a Persona is, the longer it will take to be summoned. With enough training though, one can easily summon a high level Persona with a simple snap of his fingers. Of course, I don't expect any of you to be able to perform such feats so soon. Find your own style of summoning, and choose well. Remember that power isn't the only deciding factor in a battle; speed is one as well._

_Magic is no longer a dream. Personas are capable of conjuring up the mightiest of infernos, the strongest gales of winds, the coldest blizzards. There are more elemental powers that they possess, and the amount of power each Persona possess varies, but I'll leave that up to your own discovery._

_Physical feats that are considered impossible by human standards are often easily done by Personas, due to their powers. Again, the physical prowess of a Persona varies from one to the other, so it's up to you to discover your own Persona's power._

_Now that I've more or less let you understand the gist of things, you must want to know what our reason was for awakening your Persona. Now I want to make this very clear to you. If you're reading this email, your fate has already been sealed, and you have been dragged into a conflict from which there can be no escape._

_We have went through the entire list of students who registered in the school, and selected amongst them people whom we believe have the potential to be the best Persona users. Those whom we had deemed worthy have automatically received a form (either through physical or electronic means) which contains the special sound attachment that will awaken their Persona. Should they choose the path of not opening or reading the form, they will continue to live their lives as per normal in the school. Or at the very least, as normal as normal can get in a school full of Persona users._

_Persona Users:_

_Your objective for the rest of the school year would be to find and kill off any other users in your path. This can be done either by attacking the user, or the Persona of the user itself. Of course, we're not asking you to do this without a reward. As long as you follow the rules written in this email, you will be given special privileges._

_Everyone will be given a daily allowance of no less than the equivalent of a hundred US dollars daily, and it can be found in your individual school lockers on the ground floor. There is a special bonus if you happen to be the one who finished off the most users at the end of the month. Within the school premises, you are exempted from the eyes of the law, and you can do anything you want without fear. Again, there are still lines that you cannot cross, and if you get a tad too out of hand, we might be forced to interfere. At the end of the day, should you find yourself to be the last user standing, you're allowed to be granted a single wish for anything you desire. Nothing is impossible for us, and I personally assure you that your wish will be granted. This is, of course, IF you manage to be the last user standing._

_Non-users:_

_The ones who did not open the forms are effectively fodder for you Persona users. You are free to use them in any way you deem fit, toying with them and their very lives. You don't have to be fearful of the consequences of a non-user dying in the school; legal issues and the like will be settled quietly by the school. You will not take any blame nor have any burden of killing someone on your shoulders. This, of course, does not mean that you are free to kill indiscriminately like a psychopathic murderer. I do not intend for the battle royale to end before it even starts. A few casualties here and there are okay, an intentional slaughtering of the masses will result in severe punishment._

_Teachers are also not allowed to be assaulted, either physically or magically. They have been armed and informed about the situation in the school, and have their own measures to handle you should you attempt an attack on them. We will also have to penalize you should you try to attack any figure of authority. Once again, do not try to assault any figures of authority in the school compound._

_Battles in the school:_

_You're permitted to bring melee weapons to school for self defense, and as long as the weapon is not classified under firearms or ranged weapons, it is allowable._

_You're allowed a maximum of ONE battle per school day, and you must announce to your opponent that you're about to initiate a battle before you begin. Both parties must be aware that they are to engage each other before the first blow is struck. Using cheap tactics like backstabbing, or using a firearm or some other kind of ranged weaponry to pick off Persona users is strictly forbidden._

_Upon finishing your battle, regardless of the results, you will be free from battles for that day. No one may approach you to begin another battle, and if someone does, they will be dealt with by us. This does not mean that you cannot interact with another Persona user; getting a little rough is certainly allowed, but anything involving weaponry or Persona after one has already been involved in a battle earlier will result in a penalty for the party who started the battle._

_One can also choose to not get involved in any conflict for the day, however, this would mean that you must not get yourself in a position to be challenged. How you can accomplish this is entirely up to you._

_Battles outside school:_

_Clashing of Personas outside school premises are, as you will well have suspected by now, strictly taboo. Using powers for one's own gains are acceptable, as long as it does not cause harm to anyone, but you must not let your powers be found out. Do not think that by using underhanded methods to pick off your opponents discreetly, you will be able to escape our eyes. We see everything, and we are always watching._

_Miscellaneous:_

_Do not attempt to escape from this conflict, it is unavoidable. Should we discover that you are trying to run away, we WILL find you. And we WILL put you down._

_Informing any non-users outside of school about your powers will also result in a penalty. Non-users inside school will automatically have their memories tempered with everyday before they enter and leave the school grounds, and any memory about Personas will be erased from their minds completely. As such, one does not have to worry about usage of powers inside school grounds._

_Should we find out that you are breaking any of the aforementioned rules, punishments ranging from forceful removal of your Persona to erasing your very existence on this planet shall be enforced upon you. Make sure you think twice before performing any actions that may put you at risk of being a rule-breaker._

_And on that note, I wish you good luck in your upcoming days. You will probably want to converse with your Persona to get to know more about him/her/it. Remember: Trust no one but yourself.'_

* * *

><p>"What...the fuck?" Kazou fell backwards on his bed, the contents of the email still threatening to overwhelm him. He turned to the man and took a deep breath. "So now I'm caught in some fucked up war shit in my new school, and unless I'm mistaken, it's a fight to the death?"<p>

**"I don't know," **The man stated matter-of-factly, **"I was merely summoned here by that device. You seem to finally know what's going on though."**

"You don't say?" Kazou skimmed through the contents of the email once more, then decided it would be best to make sure that this whole thing wasn't a sham of some sort. "The email says this...Persona thing can do magic. Prove it."

**"Magic?" **The man cocked his head to one side, his tone slightly amused. **"I do not dabble in sorcery, I'm afraid."**

"No magic? Then do something superhuman. You can at least manage that much, right?"

**"You dare to doubt my abilities?" **The man's voice had softened considerably, and Kazou caught the hint of anger hidden within the words. The man's grip tightened on the hilt of the blade at his waist. **"Do you not know who you're speaking with?"**

"As a matter of fact, I don't. Enlighten me."

**"Well," **The grip of the man loosened as he took a more relaxed posture, a frown forming on his face. **"To be honest, I have no idea either."**

"What the- you're shitting me," Kazou found himself beginning to calm down, for even though the man still had three weapons on him, he didn't look like he was about to harm anyone. "How can you not know who you are? Don't you have a name?"

**"I am...a nameless Persona. We're of a special group even within the Persona list; it is almost impossible for someone to be able to summon us. So now I wonder...how did you manage to get me onto this plane?" **The man look accusingly at Kazou, and the latter found himself beginning to worry once again. The man continued, **"Regardless, I am your Persona now, and it shall be until we part ways. It will not do to have you call me Nameless. Select a good name for me, and our pact shall be bound by blood."**

"Wait, what? Bound by blood?"

**"Do not worry about that part yet. A name. Decide how you will address me from this moment on," **The way the man put it seemed to be telling Kazou that if he asked about the pact again, he would be cut down where he stood.

Kazou gulped and started to rack his brains for a good name to give. He was never really that good with names, but as he watched the man carefully, words started to take form in his mind. "How about...Raigura?"

**"Mm...no arguments here," **The man stepped towards Kazou, his hands shifting to grip the hilt of the two blades at his back. **"Now then, stretch out your hands, please."**

"Uh, why?" Kazou sat up, and for a moment the air around him seemed to distort. The man twitched a little, and in that same instant a searing pain tore through his palms. Instinctively Kazou yelped and looked at them, a trail of blood falling out of them to the ground as he did. "What the hell?"

Even though Kazou had not seen the man move at all aside from the small twitch, there were two visible diagonal cuts on his palms, both the mirror image of each other. A thin line of blood was still flowing from the wound, but it was not hurting as bad as it was a few seconds earlier. Kazou shot the man a killer look, but the latter hardly seemed to care about the glare he was receiving.

**"One last thing to finish our contract. Take off your shirt," **Raigura's hands fell back down to the sword he had strapped to his waist. **"Now."**

"Fuck no, what are you-" Kazou's sentence was cut short as the air distorted once more. Realizing what was about to happen, he lifted his hands to his chest to try and defend himself. Even before his hands were halfway there however, Kazou saw the man twitch again, just a little. Then another excruciating pain shot through his body, and Kazou's vision turned white as he felt himself being blown backwards.

Shaking his head to clear it, Kazou looked down at his body to inspect what Raigura had done. His chest now had a short horizontal line and a long vertical one crisscrossing each other, resembling something of a christian cross. Raigura had also not spared his clothing. His shirt was literally torn to shreds and fluttering around the room.

"Dammit, what's this for? You marking me or something?"

**"Nothing of the sort. It's just part of the contract required if you want to utilize my services. A small price to pay if you ask me. Now then, any questions for me before I take my leave?" **Raigura smiled jestingly.

"Do I! If what the email said is true, tomorrow is going to be one hell of a fucked up day. And everyday after that is going to be the same. I admit I had my doubts, but what you just did to me _twice_ was effing bullshit. I didn't even see you move-"

**"Enough," **Raigura cut Kazou off and started to fade out in front of the latter's eyes. It reminded Kazou of those effects they used at the movies, except he was plenty sure by now that everything happening was real. **"If you have no questions, then I shall be on my way."**

"Wait!" Kazou cried out, and Raigura looked back with annoyance on his face. "At the very least, tell me about your past or something."

Raigura's body stopped fading out and started to become solid once more. He walked over to Kazou's bed and took a seat on the soft fabric, one hand stroking the hilt of his sword. **"If you want, I can entertain you for a while, I suppose."**

**"As I mentioned before, I am one of the Nameless Ones. My past achievements and accomplishments account for nothing but my current skills. No one remembers my legend, because the one up**_** there**_** see me as too much of a threat to continue existing," **Raigura's eyes had a distant look in them as he recounted his past. **"In life, I was a wandering swordsman who practiced the art of Iaido. That was what you had a firsthand experience of when I made the contract with you."**

Kazou flinched a little as he remembered the way the air had contorted and the twitch Raigura had just before he felt the pain on his palm and chest. "So the way the air currents seemed to just go spastic...that was you?"

**"Correct. When I wandered the lands where both demons and angels roamed freely, I ****managed to find two blacksmiths who specialized in creating blades to handle each species respectively. That is how these two blades came to be on my back," **Raigura unsheathed the two katanas, and for the first time Kazou took in their appearance. It was evident which one was designed to slay which species, for one glowed a searing white, and the other pulsed with demonic intent. The sword guard of the first katana was a small pair of angel wings protruding out of a white circular globe, whose insides seemed to contain a swirly white mist. The other blade had something that resembled long claws jutting out of a single red jewel, and as Kazou watched he thought he could see flickering flames and the eye of a beast returning his stare. **"Sanzura and Xeletho. The heavenly light, and the demonic darkness. Creatures of the dark fear the light, and vice versa. With these two blades, I was effectively immune to anything that dared to stray near me."**

"A weapon for heaven and a weapon for hell, huh?" Kazou's eyes focused on the blade strapped to Raigura's waist. "What about that one? What's that for?"

Raigura replaced the two swords into their scabbards, a flash of light and darkness emitting from them and causing the air to feel choked for an instant before the two forces neutralized each other. The swordsman sighed and took out his third blade from its scabbard, which Kazou observed had the pattern of a dragon wrapped around it. The blade itself was a shining orange, reminding Kazou of the falling leaves in autumn. **"This one...Cenoren is the sword that handles everything else in the mortal realm. Because the ones that you really have to fear in this world are neither the angels nor the demons, but mankind himself."**

Raigura stood up, and it was clear to Kazou that he meant to really go this time. **"With these blades that cleaved through humanity, holy and unholy beings alike, I managed to chalk up a record of no less than five hundred and ninety victories to one loss."**

"One loss?" Up till now Kazou had been under the impression that Raigura was more or less immortal, since the way he handled his sword was nothing short of amazing, and he had a weapon to fit every situation. "What could be so powerful that you couldn't even defeat it with your skills and the three blades?"

**"Time, Kazou, the one thing mortals can never hope to defeat," **This time Raigura definitely sounded saddened. His figure faded out into nothingness as his voice continued to echo around the now empty room of Kazou. **"Memento mori."**

* * *

><p>Kazou wasn't even aware that he had fallen asleep until his phone's ringtone forced him to wake up. Sleepily rubbing his eyes and yawning, Kazou looked at the number displayed on the screen of his phone. It was an unfamiliar one, but he answered the call either way.<p>

"Yo?" He stifled another yawn as he spoke. "Kazou Okumura speaking."

"Ah, Kazou?" The female voice on the other end of the line was vaguely familiar, and in another second Kazou realized who the voice belonged to. "You're late for school today. Are you calling in sick?"

"Ah, shit," Kazou swore and glanced at the time displayed on his phone's screen. He was a good fifteen minutes late, and even if he hurried he would only reach school after half an hour's time. "Sorry, kinda overslept. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Kazou began washing up hurriedly, and let out another curse word as he remembered the reason he had overslept. His eyes automatically gazed over to his laptop, which had been closed and was on the floor beside his bed.

_Was everything just some sort of stupid dream?_

**"That makes me wonder, is a dream considered something on the mortal plane, or would I be able to cut it with my other two swords?" **The sound of glass breaking sounded as Raigura appeared beside Kazou, dispelling any doubt the latter had about what happened during the night before. The swordsman twitched a little as the air conformed around him, then gave a look of dissatisfaction at Kazou. **"As I thought. With the exception of my awakening, coming out by myself limits my powers severely. I guess we should do the proper procedure next time. Anyway, you better watch your back today."**

"Don't remind me," Kazou groaned. Today was the start of some kind of 'battle royale' involving beings called Personas in his school. He still had not figured out who was at the top of things, but Kazou was sure it was some kind of sick wacko who took pleasure in watching high school kids kill each other in some kind of tournament. "Whoever sent that email must be some kind of sick fuck."

**"Which reminds me, I went through the contents of the mail you read inside your mind when I disappeared last night, and found that you seemed to have forgotten something."**

"I-inside my mind...?"

**"Of course. A Persona and its user are one and the same. You cannot hide anything from each other. Hmm, back to the matter at hand. The mail explicitly stated that you are allowed to bring in melee weapons into the school, did it not?" **A silver katana with a matching colored strap formed in front of Raigura as he stretched out his palm, hovering in the air as though it was awaiting a command. **"I've gone to the trouble of preparing a weapon for you. Use it wisely."**

Raigura tossed the blade over to Kazou, and the latter caught it nicely between his hands. There was a problem for him, however. Kazou was not experienced in the usage of weapons whatsoever. Every fight he had been in before, it had been with his bare fists. He wasn't sure what to do now that he had to suddenly start wielding dangerous weaponry. It was also illegal to walk around in town with a sharp edged weapon dangling from your waist in full view of everyone.

Raigura was already gone by the time Kazou started to voice his concerns, and an annoyed Kazou decided to take the weapon out of its scabbard for some testing. The design of the sword was not as spectacular as the three Raigura wielded, but it was a beautiful blade nonetheless. The silver edge reflected the sunlight perfectly, and Kazou noted that the words 'Memento Mori' was engraved on both sides of the blade. He took a few good swings, but when the weapon still felt awkward in his arms, Kazou gave up and replaced it into the scabbard.

Packing his books into his bag, Kazou stood up and tried to fit the katana into various places. Initially he thought he would be able to stuff it inside the side of his pants, but it made him feel extremely uncomfortable. Then he considered placing it inside his bag, but it was evident that the sling bag could not hold something as long as that. Finally, Kazou just decided to strap it and leave it dangling near his hips, similar to how Raigura left Cenoren hanging near his.

Kazou began to thought up multiple excuses that he could use for explaining why he had a sword on him as he left the house, settling with saying that the school had an convention coming up and that he had to role play using the sword.

* * *

><p>The excuse worked well, and people eventually stopped giving him weird looks on the station and train as Kazou muttered aloud on purpose about a 'convention' at school. Before he knew it, Kazou was already standing before the gates of Pegutori High once more. The white front gates were locked shut, but there was a side entrance which was meant for latecomers. A lone student stood guard by the gate, and watched quietly with his jet black eyes as Kazou walked near him. Glancing at his watch, Kazou cringed as he realized that he was well over forty minutes late.<p>

"Twice in a row, I see," The male student standing by the gate seemed to be appraising him as Kazou stepped into the school. "Kazou Okumura, wasn't it? Try to be more punctual next time. We do not appreciate entertaining latecomers in this school."

"You don't say?" Kazou brushed the student off, "Aren't you late yourself? Everyone else is already gone."

"It's my job to stand guard here," The student smiled, revealing a full set of shiny white teeth. "If you know what's good for you, you won't compare us to yourselves."

"'Us'...?" Kazou suddenly had a sinking feeling that something was very wrong with the student. He hasn't noticed it due to rushing to enter the school earlier, but now that he had stopped moving completely, he saw an odd marking that resembled a white feather embedded on the collar of the student's uniform. It occurred to him that the student had also not questioned him as to why there was a weapon attached to his waist. "You're..."

"Just a student councilor doing his job," The student finished Kazou's sentence, and for a moment Kazou thought he saw the student's eyes flash a burning red. The councilor folded his arms and waved Kazou off casually. "Be on your way. And don't let me catch you being late again."

"Tch. Whatever," Kazou turned and started towards his classroom at double his normal walking speed, all this while keeping a wary eye on the student councilor until he was up the stairs and completely out of sight.

* * *

><p>As Kazou moved along the empty corridors of the school, it was clear something was wrong. The air itself felt different; a mixture of nervousness, pressure and tension that threatened to crush Kazou, despite there being seemingly nothing wrong with the students. It was clear to him which ones were the Persona users as he moved past each classroom; only a handful turned to look at him with a grim expression, whilst the non-users were busy occupying themselves with everyday activities.<p>

For a moment, Kazou considered pretending to be a non-user. He might be able to avoid conflict that way, but for how long can he keep the pretense up?

And another worrying though hit him as he approached the classroom: he definitely would not be the only one who thought up the idea of pretending to not have a Persona. For all he knew, anyone could be a user.

"Damn," Kazou stopped outside his classroom and bit his lips. "I really can't trust anyone but myself."

Bracing himself, Kazou lifted his hands and knocked sharply against the door three times. Miss Yui's voice acknowledged him through the door, and he opened it to step him. No less than two steps into the room, Kazou found himself at the center of attention. It would have been natural; people tend to be curious about who just entered a room, even if they already knew who it was. But the way _every student _in the room simultaneously turned their heads to look at him almost threw Kazou off.

With the exception of the teacher, the eyes of everyone in the room looked hallow and dead, and the mechanical way they turned their necks indicated that something was obviously wrong. Kazou paused, unsure of how to continue. Clearly there was a Persona user in the room, and he or she had already put the 'cannon fodder' part stated in the email to good use.

"No point worrying," Kazou muttered to himself, putting on an arrogant face as he moved forward to his seat and threw his bag on it before sitting down, lifting his legs and placing them on the table. Looking at the expectant face of Miss Yui, Kazou realized that he had forgotten his manners. "Sorry about being late, teach."

"That's alright," The teacher flashed another cheerful smile at him, seemingly undaunted by the fact that nearly everyone in her class seemed to be half dead. "Legs off the table, if you would."

"Yeah, sure," Kazou obliged and lifted them off, and as he did so the students sitting around him started to move. They formed a circle around Kazou, looking down at him with eyes that resembled dead fishes. He wasn't surprised of course, having already expected that something would happen. "Sup?"

"You-" One of the female students spoke, her voice sounding strained and forced as she pointed an accusing finger at him. "You aren't affected. That means you're a user."

Kazou stood up, using his height to his advantage as he towered over the ones surrounding him. "And what if I am?"

The eyes of the students studied him, and as they focused on the weapon Kazou had brought, a murmur seemed to resonate through the classroom. "And you've brought along a weapon too. Nice try, but you're never going to be able to find me, much less get the chance to use it on me."

"Tch," Kazou clicked his tongue as he realized that whoever was speaking through the students' mouths were right. The user had somehow managed to bring the entire class under his or her control, and was using them as both weapons and shields. Kazou wouldn't be able to strike back, since the email had stated clearly that intentional killing of large groups of non-users would result in a penalty. But if the user started to use the masses to attack him, he would be down for the count without even having a fair chance at retaliation. Kazou's hand tightened on the hilt of the katana, sweating rolling down his hands as he realized that he might really have to use it to cut down the students before him.

Just when he thought he had been placed in checkmate, Kazou was reminded of another rule written in the email. Folding his arms confidently, Kazou made sure his voice could be heard throughout the whole classroom, "A Persona user would not be able to attack another user until he made his intention clear. Wasn't that part of the rules as well? You can't use these people to attack me until you reveal who you are. So come on out and show your face, you fucking coward."

A slow clapping echoed in the classroom as the students started to move and position themselves, forming two straight rows. At the end of the two lines, a student which Kazou recognized as the one who had tried to talk to him yesterday was seated atop a human throne consisting of multiple girls. Kazou shot a look of disgust at how the student was using the girls, but the latter merely returned his gaze with a sarcastic smile as he clapped.

"You little punk...using people like that," Kazou spoke through clenched teeth. "Don't you have the least bit of dignity?"

"Ha, you're one to talk," The student's accent as he talked served to piss Kazou off even more. "Who was the one who was ready to use his weapon on said people just a minute ago?"

"That was only because you were such a coward for using them as weapons and preparing to attack me with them."

"Hey, hey, don't judge me like that. You have your preferred weapon, I have mine. The rules stated it clearly, no? We can use them freely in any way we desire," The student smirked and stroked the hair of a female student near him. "Well I know what _I _desire."

"Well, do me a favor and jump off a cliff," Kazou started to make his way towards the Persona user, but the other students shifted their formation quickly and formed a human wall between the user and him. "If I ever get my hands on you..."

"Ha, you wish," The student taunted him from behind the human blockade. "Now, we have to announce our intent, you said? Very well then. I, Harold Rucil, challenges you, Kazou Okumura to a Persona battle. Let the fun begin!"

The group of students turned their dead eyes to Kazou as they stared him down. Their mouths opened as one, and a multitude of male and female voices ranging from both young to old sprang forth from them. **"Remember our name, for it shall be the last one you hear. We are many. We. Are. Legion!"**

* * *

><p>A pair of scornful emerald green eyes silently observed the beginning of the battle taking place in Kazou's classroom, and a hand belonging to the owner of the eyes was raised, revealing an odd device that somewhat resembled a watch attached to her wrist. Showing the time was clearly not what the device was used for however, as the student began to speak into it as soon as it was raised close to her lips.<p>

"Metatron, the first battle has begun," The smooth voice of the student was befitting of her pale skin complex and straight white hair, her uniform a contrasting black against them with the exception of the single white feather embedded near the collar. "Are you watching?"

A crackling and buzzing sounded from the device before a heavy voice responded to the student's question. "Always."

"Neither of them seem to have the potential though," The student blinked slowly and took a step closer towards the transparent window of the classroom, giving her a more fuller view of the happenings within. "A waste of time to be watching them if you ask me."

"Silence, Gabriel. We do not judge a book by its covers," The voice was evidently displeased.

"Ah, my apologies. I forgot my place," The student lowered her hand and focused her attention on the battle occurring in the classroom, where an entire horde of non-users were swarming towards a single male with a katana in his hands. Tapping her foot impatiently, the student pouted as she muttered softly, "Now, against an entire hoard of demons, show me the potential you have hidden inside your Persona."

* * *

><p>Kazou was having one of the shittiest times of his life; barrages of arms, legs, and other parts of the human body were being use to rain blows down upon him without the slightest bit of hesitation. Trying to ward off the attacks with his arms was a futile attempt, for each blow struck hard and with enough force to bruise his body black and blue.<p>

Slowly but surely, Kazou was being pushed back into a corner of the classroom. The Persona known as Legion and its user Harold were both chuckling as they realized this, increasing the speed of their attacks to force him into the disadvantageous position. Kazou swore as he found himself being driven back faster than ever, and eventually caught onto what Harold was planning.

The katana in Kazou's hands had not been taken out of its scabbard at all, its user unwilling to risk harming the innocent students. Beating off the students with the blunt scabbard was clearly not working though, for with each fist he parried two more were sent towards him. Knowing that he no longer had any choice as his foot finally felt the wall of the classroom behind him, Kazou unsheathed the sword and made a wide swing with it, aiming low on purpose so that he only managed to nick the clothing of the nearby students.

"Ha? Was that your best attack? Jeez, and here I thought someone who brought a katana as his choice of weapon would be amazingly skilled with it," Kazou had only been faking his attack to deter the students from getting closer, but Harold had taken that for real and mocked him for it. "You must be affiliated with the mafia or something to be able to get that kind of weapon though. Too bad, even the mafia can't stand up to something like a Persona. Legion, finish that pathetic worm off!"

An inhumane scream escaped the students' mouths as the Persona controlling them acknowledged the order given to it. Kazou pounded his fist against the wall and refrained himself from replying to his opponent; he was more concerned with avoiding attacks and trying to find a way to escape. Looking desperately around him as he dodged attacks one after another to the best of his ability, Kazou spotted a table that he decided could be used as a springboard.

Shoving the surrounding students out of his way with a sudden burst of force, Kazou jumped onto the table and then leaped off it onto another nearby table, using them as stepping stones to bring himself closer to Harold. The latter became aware of his plan within the first two jumps however, and a pair of hands snatched at Kazou's foot, causing him to fall mid flight. Harold simply let out another mocking laugh at Kazou's plight as he remained seated atop his human throne.

Kazou picked himself up quickly and considered the situation he was in. Thanks to his above average fitness and long legs, he was able to jump clear of the hoard of students, and now the closest ones were a good three meters away from him. He wasn't in the best position standing in the middle of the classroom though, and a few of the students had shifted themselves to block off the exit of the classroom. Behind him sat Miss Yui on the teacher's desk, the usual serene smile on her face as she watched the battle calmly. She obviously wasn't going to lift a finger to help Kazou in any way, and Kazou doubted she could even if she wanted.

The katana felt burning hot in his hands, and Kazou realized with astonishment that the blade had started to take on a pale white aura. It was scarcely noticeable in the sunlight that entered the room through the windows, but a burning sensation in his hands as he held the weapon made him sure that something was up. He was supposed to do something, but exactly what it was, Kazou did not know.

Hopping backwards to put some more distance between himself and the students as they lurched towards him, Kazou noticed that the white aura around his blade seemed to have passed onto his body as well. As the students made their way towards him, Kazou felt the tension in his body rising. His body started to move almost of its own accord, as it knew what it must do without Kazou directly controlling it. With both hands tightly clasped around the katana, Kazou pointed the blade towards himself, his lips opening and forming the syllables of a single word.

"Per..."

"Oh fuck!" Harold jumped off the girls around him and started to back away. "Legion, kill him off! NOW!"

The students began to move towards Kazou even faster than before, but before their second step was taken, Kazou had already muttered the second syllable.

"So..."

The aura around him brightened and became fully visible, rising upwards and spreading out almost as if it was a flame feeding off the air around it. The first of the students wound back his hand and prepared to bring it down upon the face of Kazou, but the last syllable was out before the attack could be launched.

"Na!"

With that last syllable, Kazou plunged the sword directly into his chest, causing both the burning sensation and the aura to engulf his body. The light and power that burst forth forced the students to back off as they swirled around him, taking on a tangible form of a white flame. What the students felt the fire could do to them, however, was suffered by Kazou a thousand times over as he stood in the middle of the inferno. The flames threatened to burn out every last vestige of Kazou's consciousness, and Kazou felt as though his body was being torn apart limb by limb whilst being scorched over a bonfire as more of the white aura flooded out from his chest.

And then the pain began to subside, slowly at first, then at a rapid pace. The familiar sound of shattering glass sounded in Kazou's ears, and as he made a herculean effort to look behind him, he noticed that despite having thrust his sword into his chest, there was no sight of it coming out on the other side. Rather, what appeared to be fragments of broken glass were dispersing in the air and vanishing, and within moments of disappearing, the white flames around Kazou took on a life of their own.

The fire left Kazou's body and started to take the shape of a humanoid, delicately forming the body of Kazou's Persona. Each flame took on a different tone of color as they formed different parts of the Persona's body, first his robe, then his pants. In less than two seconds upon leaving Kazou, the flames already resembled a human, and would have been identified as one too if not for the flickering edges which were quickly being smoothened out. With a final flare, the flames died out and gave way to Raigura, who turned to Kazou with a haughty look on his face.

**"You called?"  
><strong>**  
><strong>Kazou wasn't in the best condition to answer however, the summoning procedure having taken a significant amount of energy both physically and mentally. He had already fallen to his knees, and was struggling to do the simple task of standing up. Clutching the handle of the katana that was still embedded in his chest with one hand, Kazou pointed at Harold with the fingers of his other.

"That guy...his Persona has the ability to control these students somehow," Kazou spoke through ragged breathing, his body trembling slightly from the effort of talking. "We need to find a way...to get rid of his Persona."

Raigura turned to look at Harold with a look of contempt, then turned to face the students who had surrounded both him and Kazou. Observing the glazed look in the students' eyes and the amount of voices which was coming from their mouths as they closed in, Raigura easily deducted what was happening. His fingers closed around the shining white handle of Sanzura as he spoke with a grin on his face, **"This stagnant air, and this foul presence...the sure sign of demons. And not just one of them, I see. A holy blade shall be fit to cut a swath through the lot of you."**

"Raigura, wait! Tch-" Kazou attempted to move forward, but his body convulsed and he fell to the floor, narrowly missing having the entire katana fully entering his body. Lifting his head up, Kazou coughed and finished what he wanted to say with a pained expression, "Don't hurt those guys. It's not their fault."

**"Playing the hero now, are we?" **Raigura didn't seem to pay any heed to Kazou's words he pulled the sword out from its scabbard with a dramatic sweeping motion, cleanly cutting through the bodies of the students who were too close. Rather than being sliced into chunks from the attack though, the students who were hit flew backwards violently, crashing into their companions and causing a domino effect. **"Well, that gives us enough breathing space."**

Kazou glanced at the students who had been hit by Sanzura out of the corner of his eye; they were groaning in pain, but their voices seemed to have returned to normal. The realization that Raigura had been listening to him the whole time dawned upon Kazou. "You just..."

**"Cutting through the links of the mind is but child's play for someone who had spent the last millennium honing his sword techniques in the realm of demons and angels," **Raigura yawned and sheathed Sanzura back into its scabbard on his back. He gave a condescending look at Harold, who was already more than halfway through the classroom. **"What were you saying before...about that guy being a coward? Seems you were right. Give me the go-ahead, if you would be so kind."**

"Tch," Kazou had managed to get up by leaning against the teacher's desk for support. He didn't want to harm anyone innocent, but Harold was nowhere near the meaning of the word. The images of Harold using the students as though they were his personal slaves flashed before his eyes again, and with a burning fury in his voice, Kazou sealed his opponent's fate. "Cut him down."

**"With pleasure," **Raigura smiled a knowing smile and stepped twice towards the direction Harold was running in, vanishing abruptly only to reappear before a panicking Harold with a vengeful look in his eyes.

Harold took one look at Raigura and let out a girlish scream, backing off from the swordsman and throwing nearby chairs at him. The items were all cut in two before they went within three feet of the Persona however, and the latter did not even appear to have moved his arm or weapon at all to perform the feat. With every step Harold took backwards, Raigura took two forward, and soon enough the former found himself out of space to run. Crazed and desperate, Harold screamed the name of his Persona out in a last ditch effort. "LEGION!"

In response to Harold's cry, a black mass began leaving the body of the students and formed a black lump blocking off Raigura from his target. It swelled in size quickly, and Kazou noted with a grimace that there were a whole bunch of pained and tortured faces emerging from the mass. Raigura didn't seem in the least worried about the spectacle happening before him however, and stepped forward once more. Harold screamed out another order, "Stop him!"

A dark brown tendril extended from the mass and flew towards Raigura, whose hand was once again on the handle of Sanzura. A small twitch, a seemingly tiny movement from the swordsman, and the tendril fell severed from its source. The Persona known as Legion screamed in agony and opened its multiple mouths, spewing forth a black haze that threatened to engulf Raigura.

The swordsman was already one step ahead of his opponent however, and completely avoided the attack with one graceful sidestep. With the same vengeful expression he held a minute ago, Raigura closed in the remaining distance between him and Harold. The air around the two blurred and contorted as though there was an invisible flame burning between them for a second, and Harold opened his mouth to let out another fearful scream. The sound never left his throat however, and the last thing Harold felt was the sensation of hot liquid gushing forth from his torso before his vision blacked out on him forever.

* * *

><p>"So...it's over," The student standing outside the classroom muttered to herself as she witnessed the final blow being struck to the user of the demonic Persona. The battle had not been looking good for the one wielding the katana until he used it to summon his Persona. It was an odd method of summoning, but if the student was surprised, her face didn't show it. Raising her hand to her mouth once again, the student spoke into the device, "I was right; neither of them had the 'Wild Card' ability."<p>

"I see," The heavy voice responded to her, then remained silent for a moment before continuing, "However, the one that was victorious...he is quite intriguing."

"Agreed. I have never seen such a...unique...method of summoning. And that Persona of his appears to be quite a powerful one," The student ran her free hand through her hair, causing a few strands to fall around her face. "Your orders, Metatron?"

"Keep a tag on him," The device buzzed and went silent, signaling the end of the conversation.

The student nodded to herself and dropped her hand, leaning against the window panels of the classroom and looking in. The device on her hand beeped a few seconds after she did so though, and the student frowned in disappointment. She had wanted to stay for a while longer to observe the aftermath of the battle. "Another battle, hmm? Well, it _is_ my duty, I guess."

The student stepped away from the window, turning in the opposite direction and heading into the stairs that would bring her to the lower floor. Before she vanished completely down the stairs however, the student turned and took one last glance at Kazou, who had by now managed to stand up on his feet completely. "Kazou Okumura...to have made Metatron notice you even though you're not the one he's searching for...you must be quite a fascinating individual. I look forward to seeing more from you."

* * *

><p>"Damn sword," Kazou gritted his teeth as he exerted his remaining strength on the handle of the blade that was inside his chest. It would have been an easy task, was he not so drained of energy. With a final tug, Kazou managed to dislodge the katana completely and pulled it out from his chest, an odd feeling tickling his insides as the blade slid out. He half expected Raigura to vanish when the blade was removed, but the Persona remained where he was, the sole person standing around a field of students who had fallen to the floor in an unconscious heap.<p>

Legion was quite literally melting into the ground where it floated, the tortured faces dropping off one by one into a pool as black as night underneath it. Harold's dismembered body lay in two separate places to the left and right of his Persona, and Kazou cringed a little upon looking at the expression on Harold's still face. Then his eyes shifted to the bottom half of the dead user, blood still dripping out of the gaping hole, and Kazou suddenly found himself doubling over and dry retching.

Raigura walked over to Kazou, seemingly not at all concerned about the state his user was in. Grabbing a chair on his way, Raigura sat down on it and crossed his legs as he raised an eyebrow at Kazou. **"So...nice figuring out what the weapon was for."**

"Fuck you," Kazou managed to compose himself long enough to insult Raigura, then doubled over once more. After another few seconds, he staggered over to the teacher's desk and replaced the silver katana into its scabbard, then turned to face his Persona. "You could have at least told me that _that _was what the sword was meant for, instead of having me swing it around like an idiot and finding out myself moments before my impending death."

**"Well, color me surprised. I didn't know you liked being spoon-fed," **Raigura had enough sarcasm in his words to fill a bucket. He smiled imperiously at Kazou as he continued, **"Besides, where's the excitement if I told you everything right from the start? Discover things by yourself, then you'll have three times the satisfaction than if everything was given to you from the beginning."**

Kazou opened his mouth to retaliate, but a bell rang and signaled the end of class before he could speak. Miss Yui stood up from her desk and smiled at Kazou before she started to move out of the classroom. Kazou was about to let her do anything but that, however. Stopping her by tapping on her shoulders, he started to chastise her openly, "And you, what the hell was that all about? These are your _students, _for fuck's sake! Don't you at least care about them, even a little bit?"

"There are some things that I can't really interfere with, and this is one of them. Those guys are always watching, after all," Miss Yui's smile dropped for a moment as she looked from the entrance of the classroom back to Kazou. "Congratulations on your win."

Kazou watched her leave with disbelief, and as she left the classroom, another figure stepped in. It was another student, and the first impression Kazou got about the newcomer was that he was a queer, if the purplish-pink streaks in his hair was anything to go by. The student's hair was also combed down all the way such that his fringe completely blocked off one side of his face, and gave him an overall gloomy aura.

Catching sight of the white feather on the collar of the student's uniform, Kazou realized that the student was also another one of the councilors. The student shuffled up to the body of Harold, then looked at Kazou with a knowing eye. The student turned back to the corpse as he repeated what Miss Yui had said before she left, "Congratulations on your win."

Kazou was about to inquire more about the current situation in the school with the student before him, but as though the latter had read his mind, the councilor spoke first, "I'd tell you not to ask too much. You already know the situation, don't you? You can't change the fate of the students in this school, so don't even bother. Just do what you're supposed to do obediently."

"How do you expect me to do that after-"

"You're free to leave for today," The student cut him off as he started to get his hands dirty with Harold's remains, picking up the scattered organs around the classroom. "Or you can stay here and finish up with any business you may have remaining. Just remember that you're not allowed to engage anyone else for today."

"Tch, screw you guys. I'm outta here," Kazou looked around the classroom, his classmates all still lying on the floor unconscious. He silently apologized to them for the trauma they had been put through, although if what the letter had stated was correct, then they would have no recollection about this event ever happening. If that was the case, his apology would have been wasted, but Kazou didn't care either way. He felt partially responsible for what happened to them, since it was his Persona that had sent them sprawling onto the floor. Turning to Raigura who was still seated on the chair he had taken, Kazou asked, "Are you coming?"

**"Obviously," **Raigura spoke without looking at Kazou, his attention more focused on the student councilor. Even as he started to fade out, Raigura's eyes never left the councilor, and Kazou waited until the Persona had fully vanished before grabbing his bag and stepping out of the classroom.

"Give my regards to the gatekeeper," The councilor called from inside the classroom. Kazou simply ignored him and proceeded on his way down the stairs.

* * *

><p>It didn't take Kazou long to reach the ground floor with the speed at which he was walking, a combination of disgust and anger fueling his energy. His arms and legs had multiple bruises on them as a result of the battle, but perhaps due to his rage, Kazou didn't feel the pain that was supposed to come together with the injuries.<p>

As Kazou passed by the area where the school lockers were located, he stopped, having remembered another detail written in the email. Scanning the lockers quickly, Kazou located his name in less than a minute, and opened it with the key he had received on his first day of school. Sure enough, placed inside the locker were multiple notes of varying denominations. Deciding that the school owed him as much for the medical fees he was going to get with his injuries, Kazou snatched the money forcefully out and slammed his locker shut.

A sniffle behind him caused Kazou to turn around with a yelp, and he found himself looking into the green eyes of a pale looking female student. Almost naturally, Kazou's eyes fell to her collar, and as he suspected there was a white feather cleanly embossed on it. If Kazou had to describe the student's appearance, he would have said that she was beautiful, but there was an unearthly air around her as she stared inquisitively at him before opening her mouth to speak. "I wonder why you still took it if you think so badly about us. I will never understand you mortals."

"Yeah, well, you guys owe me as much. I probably won't even _be_ here tomorrow, what with these wounds on me," Kazou sniffed and started towards the exit of the school, only to find himself slipping and hitting the cement floor hard. Groaning as he picked himself up, Kazou found himself sitting in a pool of scattered poker cards that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. Looking back at the girl, Kazou saw a male student sitting atop the gray lockers, tossing a pack of poker cards up and down in his hands.

The student's blonde hair was cut short and styled neatly, although two locks of hair extended downwards from his sideburns. His eyes were a bright purple, and there was an odd glint of playfulness and glee in them as they looked at Kazou. His sharp nose and high ears gave him an almost elfish appearance, and the student cocked his head to one side as he stuck his tongue out at Kazou. "Watch where you're stepping, idiot. Don't want to get into an unfortunate accident now, do we?"

"Enough, Loki," The girl beside the male student sighed and turned away from Kazou. "He has already used up his chance for battling for today."

"I told you not to call me that. It'll risk letting my opponents know who my Persona is," The student which the girl had addressed as 'Loki' jumped off the lockers and strutted up to Kazou, putting the two at eye level. "Ah well, guess it doesn't matter. I'll get you tomorrow anyway. Or the week after. So don't think you can go around harassing my little sweetie here until then, you hear?"

"Look Loki, unless you defeat everyone else, you're not going to have a chance to get anywhere _near_ me aside from school. So I'm telling you right now, give it up," The girl frowned at 'Loki', then jumped a little as a beeping sounded from her wrist. "Well, no time to slack around. See you tomorrow."

The girl turned and disappeared around the corner, and the student known as 'Loki' started to follow. Before he turned the corner after the girl however, the student looked back at Kazou and spoke, "I just noticed she never told you my name. It's Reikio. Reikio Kanzaki. And that girl you saw just now is my girlfriend. Or at least, she _will_ be soon enough. So don't you even think about trying to get all friendly with her, unless you want to see a pack of cards thrown in your face. Ha, that will be a sight. See you around...not."

Reikio tossed a card straight at Kazou's eyes, causing the latter to blink instinctively. By the time Kazou reopened his eyes, Reikio was nowhere to be seen. The card that had been thrown had somehow found its way into his palm instead of his face, and Kazou turned it around in his hand as he examined it.

It was the joker of a poker card deck, but rather than that of a normal jester, the picture was one of a demon whose left and right wings seemed to be misaligned, one of them going up while the other went in the opposite direction. The 'Joker' word on the card was also replaced by the word 'Trickster', and Kazou found the word fitting the picture perfectly.

Grunting, Kazou stuffed the card into his bag and continued on his way, passing by the lone student councilor still standing guard at the gate as he moved. The councilor didn't seem to be very surprised to see him going home early, and merely acknowledged him leaving with a nod.

Finally free from the school, Kazou took in a deep breath of the fresh air, then turned backwards and looked at the school for one final time before he left for the day. He frowned as he saw what appeared to be sparks flying out of the windows of a classroom. The school now looked far more sinister compared to the impression it had given him yesterday. Rather than a place of learning, it had earned its place permanently as an arena of death in Kazou's books.

Now he knew the reason that the school was located in a desolated place; it was to prevent people from asking questions about what was truly going on. Even if people did turn up to question the school, Kazou had no doubt that the councilors would have their own methods for handling them.

"Probably something like removal of their existence," Kazou shook his head as he recalled what was written in the email. Having had enough about Personas for one day, Kazou started to make his way towards the train station, never being able to view the school he had enrolled into in the same light ever again. "Purgatory High indeed. What a fitting name for such a school."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>**Yeah so...hope you enjoyed reading it. Not sure if I should continue, but whatever. I set everything up so I can easily continue if I wanted anyway. Before you ask, yes I totally made up Kazou's Persona. After all, a fanfiction doesn't mean you _have _to use everything given in the game. The concept itself is good enough, ze? ** Review or something if you guys want.**  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes: I decided to update it anyway. My proofreader (whom shall be known henceforth as Trace) has a strict computer usage schedule though, and it takes some time to pump out 30 pages worth of words, so don't mind the long time it takes for an update.**

**Before you start though, I must tell you that you should not see any of the attacks I write in battle scenes as those from the Persona series, because some of them might not be what you think they are...(More on this at the end.)**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed typing it out!**

* * *

><p><em>I can't sleep.<em> Kazou stared at the white ceiling of his apartment from his bed, his hands placed behind his head. Aside from the occasional noises of nature from outside the window, the only other sound in the apartment was coming from the slow ticking of the clock on Kazou's desk. He turned a lazy eye to it, then groaned as he realized how early in the morning it still was. _Four in the morning...and I've just been staring at the ceiling all this time?_

Sleep was avoiding Kazou, and he knew the reason for it only all too well. He had killed someone. It wasn't him that directly did the killing, but Kazou _was_ the one who had given Raigura his order. When he first left the school Kazou haven't placed much thought into it, but after he returned to his apartment, the guilt started to catch up to him. Conflicting thoughts had been clashing in his head since the afternoon, and it was all Kazou could do to prevent himself from breaking down.

Kazou never thought that the gnawing feeling of guilt could be so powerful. He had always believed that he could watch someone get killed and not bat an eyelid. However, it was one thing to claim that you could do something, and another to really do it. Right now, every time his eyes closed, Kazou would see Harold's haunting face sneering at him. The dead student didn't have any legs, and would drag his body slowly towards Kazou, extending his hand as though he was silently inviting Kazou to hell with him.

"Argh, fuck it!" Kazou jolted out of bed, the image of Harold melting away from his eyes. Even though it wasn't in the least hot inside the apartment, Kazou could feel the sweat on his back causing his shirt to cling onto him. Walking to the window, Kazou quietly observed the neighborhood. The entire street was lit up by a combination of street lights and moonlight, giving it a somehow soothing glow. Not surprisingly, there was no sign of activity anywhere, aside from the movement of a few nocturnal animals out on the prowl.

"I don't know if it's possible for me to go on like this," Kazou groaned and held his right hand to his head, feeling the wounds that had been inflicted on him during the battle. The only thing that offered him respite was the fact that he tomorrow off due to the doctor giving him approved leave. "And this was like, what, day one?"

"**And? What do you want me to do about it?" **Raigura's scornful voice came from his bed in reply. **"Offer words of comfort? Tell you it's going to be alright, and that the day after will be better? This is a war, Kazou. People die, and there's nothing you can do about it."**

Kazou bit his tongue to stop himself from countering Raigura's statement. The latter did have a point about it being a war. Stepping into the school was now like the equivalent of stepping into a battlefield, where one's life may be put to an abrupt end in a fight any time. It wasn't anything like the fights Kazou had been in before in his previous schools. Those were merely brawls with fists, and aside from a lot of pain, were mostly free from the risk of death.

The fights in Pegutori High didn't have that luxury, however. But there was no escape, and Kazou didn't doubt the email when it stated that attempting to escape will result in him being hunted down. So what _could_ he do? Kazou looked at his Persona idling on the bed with a hopeless gaze. The swordsman could handle himself in any situation, Kazou didn't doubt that, but that happened to be the problem. Since Raigura was strong enough, people who tried to attack him would end up dying, and the last thing Kazou wanted was another death on his hands. But if he didn't fight back, _he_would end up being the one dead.

"Fuck it all, I'm doomed either way!" Kazou rubbed his head harshly, causing his hair to become disheveled.

"**What's so difficult?" **Raigura watched Kazou with a fairly bored expression. **"Just cut down anyone who stands in your way and move on. Soon enough you'll become numb to it."**

"Easy for _you _to say!" Kazou yelled, pointing an accusing finger at his Persona's blades. "Fucking swords of judgment probably killed more people than there are the numbers of students in the school."

**"Why, thank you for the compliment," **Raigura replied sarcastically, standing up and moving close to Kazou, stopping before him with narrowed eyes. **"Now listen well. This is a world where it's kill or be killed. It's your life that you risk losing if you want to be all goody-goody with everyone, not mine. So keep that in mind when you go to school the day after."**

"Wait, hold on there. Aren't you my Persona? If I die, won't you perish alongside me as well?"

**"You wish. Sure, I'd feel some pain as you lay there dying, but once your life force is gone, I'll just go back to where I came from until another user summons me," **Raigura explained with a confident smile. **"So you see, there's not so much at risk for me as there is for you."**

"Tch," Kazou clicked his tongue. Perhaps he had misjudged how trustworthy his Persona was. "So what's stopping you from simply leaving me to die?"

**"I have my honor, Kazou," **Raigura sounded as though he had been insulted. **"And the contract we made enforces me to protect you, until my last breath on this plane."**

"Well, that's dandy and all, but tell me. What if we meet something which neither one of your three swords can cut? What then?"

Silence permeated the air for a moment as Raigura looked at Kazou with an odd expression in his eyes, the golden pupils studying Kazou intensely. **"Remember when I told you I didn't dabble in sorcery...no, never mind that. Forget what I said."**

The swordsman turned and started to walk back towards Kazou's bed, his body fading out with each step he took. Before the Persona vanished completely, he turned to look at Kazou once more. **"Now stop whining and just accept it as your fate. You can't turn back time. The only option I see you have here is to keep on fighting."**

Kazou found himself alone in his apartment once again, the awful truth having been tossed in his face. Indeed, he didn't have much of a choice. Kazou just had to keep on fighting to survive. It was that simple, if he could come to terms with his conscience. He had to move on. And to do that, he had to accept death as something to be dealt with daily, just like eating and drinking.

"The question is, can I do it?" Kazou lied down on his bed once more and found himself looking at the ceiling again. His eyelids grew heavy at last, and although Kazou waited, there was no sight of the dead Harold appearing. It seemed his Persona was right after all. "You know Raigura, sometimes the truth fucking hurts."

* * *

><p><em>A shower of blood and bodily organs, the surroundings dark and gory. Kazou looked down at his hands caked with the dried blood, his two limbs still holding on to the silver katana which was now colored red with the liquid of life. A body laid battered and mutilated before him, and Kazou backed off in shock, only to fall and find himself in the midst of even more corpses, stacked high enough on top of one another to form a literal mountain of death.<em>

_Was he the one who killed them? Kazou could give no other explanation. No one else but he was alive, and only hollow dead eyes greeted him as Kazou looked around. Why did he do it? Because they were in his way. What way? The answer didn't show itself to Kazou. He scrambled to his feet and staggered forward, leaning on the katana for support. A large lake of blood from the bodies flowed before him, and as Kazou limped across it, he caught sight of his reflection. His face wasn't his own; neither was his body. Who was he, then? The answer came this time as clear as day: Raigura._

* * *

><p>"Fuck!" Kazou awoke to the rays of sunlight that beamed in from the window outside, his back drenched from sweat. His head had felt like it was being split apart during the first few seconds of waking up, but the pain was quickly subsiding. Still, the vision Kazou had remained crystal clear in his mind. "What the hell was that all about?"<p>

**"A word of advice. Don't pry too deep. You might not like what you find," **Raigura was seated atop one of the boxes that contained furniture. **"Now then, you have the whole day free, correct? What are you going to do?"**

"I could start with unpacking everything," Kazou stood up and shook his head, the phantom pain now all but gone. As he moved past Raigura and into the toilet, Kazou had a sudden urge to question the swordsman's past. This urge was increased by what he had just seen in his dream, but something told him his Persona wasn't going to reveal it anytime soon. "And you're gonna help."

* * *

><p>The work was done quickly with Raigura's assistance, and Kazou found himself looking around his apartment with a satisfactory smile on his face. He didn't have much aside from the bare necessities, but each piece of furniture was the result of painful months of saving up from months of hard work. Kazou did receive some help with the apartment and some of the furniture from his guardians, but he intended to repay them both once he started working again. The school <em>was <em>giving him a hundred dollars per day, so ideally it should be easy to pay them back as long as he doesn't die.

**"That's all?" **Raigura didn't seem impressed.

"Well, what did you expect? Some luxury furniture fit for a king? Piss off," Kazou scoffed at his Persona and sat down on the single seat sofa. "Everything here was meant for only one person. I didn't need much material comforts, you know?"

The swordsman walked over to a cabinet and opened it up, took in the fact that it was empty with an unsurprised expression, then moved on to another one. This continued for quite some time until Kazou started to get irritated at how someone was poking around his apartment without permission.

"What gives?"

**"Empty," **Raigura closed another cabinet door and opened up the next. **"Empty. They contain nothing. What's the point of having so much space?"**

"Of course they're empty. I haven't bought anything yet," Kazou chewed his lower lip for a moment. He wasn't working yet, so his cash reserves were beginning to run low. He _did _still have the leftover money from the visit to the doctor yesterday, though. "Aw, what the hell. I'm gonna go buy some instant coffee and noodles or something. Don't wanna run low on those."

Kazou left the apartment and locked the door after him, leaving his Persona alone in the room. Raigura sighed and started to fade out, starting with his legs. Kazou had not caught the hint that he had given. **"Maybe this was the reason he could summon me. He has the same empty heart that I once did."**

* * *

><p>A relaxing midday breeze blew in Kazou's face as he looked around the busy shopping district of Sendai, trying to find a shop that might sell the things he was looking to buy. This was the problem with transferring schools so many times. Kazou had barely just begun to get used to his neighborhood before he was transferred again and thrust into unfamiliar surroundings. He didn't have anyone to blame though; every school he had been in before considered him a problem child due to his attitude, and the teachers tended to shun him along with the students.<p>

The only ones who had interacted with him were those who wanted to pick a fight with him. Kazou didn't consider anyone he met in schools as his friends. Maybe he had some in grade school, but somehow, halfway through middle school, most of his classmates became just that: classmates. If they met outside, he wouldn't even acknowledge them, much less converse with them. Going to school everyday was a chore, and having to face people who annoy him to no end was even worse.

But the situation in his current school was different. People's lives were being toyed with there as though they didn't matter, and that was one thing Kazou couldn't overlook. Some might call him a hypocrite since he will not care if someone was being humiliated in front of him, but having someone die on him was another matter altogether. Life was precious, and Kazou knew this firsthand.

When he was younger, at the age of only seven, he had been shoved onto the middle of a busy road, and destiny had picked this moment for a large truck to swerve around a corner and head towards him. Kazou's life should have ended right there, was it not for a passerby who had rushed out and pushed him to safety, at the cost of himself getting hit. Kazou never knew the fate of his mystery savior, but the incident had remained etched in his memory since then, and it was the reason he treasured life so much. This was why Kazou didn't like being around people or making friends; while he never admitted to it, his fear of death made Kazou want as few people to die around him as possible.

Of course, his judgmental personality got into the way of this at times, and when Kazou sees someone as being guilty, most of the time he would be dead set on believing that the person should be condemned to hell. This particularly applies to his parents, his father physically abusing his mother on a regular basis, and the abuse being turned onto him by his mother in turn. Those two had earned a permanent spot on Kazou's blacklist, and they were never going to be removed. But the students in Pegutori High haven't really proven themselves to all have as perverse a mindset as Harold's, and there were definitely people who honestly just wanted to live an upright life by studying and going to college, so Kazou firmly believed that they didn't deserve their fate as cannon fodder.

"If only there was a way to put an end to this," Kazou sighed as he walked along the pavement, stopping before a convenience store in the middle of the district. Entering the shop, Kazou took quick glances around, and easily spotted the items he wanted to buy. Grabbing the most efficient packages, Kazou moved to the queue and readied his money.

"Oi, fuck ye! What do ye think ye doing, bumping into me like that. Wanna die or something?" A commotion from outside the store caught Kazou's eyes. Three men dressed in shady clothing were surrounding a single individual, and Kazou's attention was drawn to the clothing the individual was wearing. He had the same uniform hanging in his closet, after all.

"What stupid school is he from anyway?" One of the men sized up the student and ruffled his hair, despite them being of roughly the same height. "Hey, there's a label here or something. Pe-gu-to-ri. The fuck is that?"

"Gentlemen, if you're going to make fun of me, I advise you to do it elsewhere. I do not take kindly to insults," The appearance of the student was being blocked off by one of the men, and Kazou couldn't see whether it was someone he knew. The voice didn't sound familiar though, and Kazou decided to just silently observe what was going on from the safety of the shop.

"Ha, this idiot really is trying to be funny. Bumps into one of us, then tries to pull some 'gentlemen' shit on us. What say you guys we teach him a little respect at that alley over there?" One of the men suggested as he pointed to the alley opposite the store. It was dark and shady even though the sun was up, the buildings on both sides providing good cover. If an accident were to occur there, no one would be able to know anything until it was too late.

Kazou kept his eye on the four as they moved into the alley, and when his turn at the queue came, he quickly paid for the items and left. Rather than heading home immediately, Kazou's instincts compelled him to stay put outside the store and watch the results of the beating. If the student was heavily injured, Kazou decided that he would move in and call for help. A minute passed, and Kazou felt himself getting nervous.

"How long do they intend to keep thrashing that guy?" Kazou shook his head and made his way across the road, entering the dark alleyway with his hands still holding the goods he had just bought. The rotting smell of garbage made Kazou wrinkle his nose in disgust, and he quickened his footsteps. He had already formulated a plan to take care of the men, and it involved the element of surprise. Kazou was almost around the corner when he heard the screams of pain and apology from not one, but three voices. Slowing down and only peeking around the corner, Kazou's eyes widened as he witnessed what was happening.

The student was breathing heavily in a pool of blood, obviously worn out from the task of taking out the three men. In his hands he held a large hammer, which had undoubtedly been used on the three attackers. The three were sprawled out unconscious around the student, heads and bodies bleeding from the crushing impact that had been delivered to them unexpectedly. Two of the men had their faces beaten to the point of being unrecognizable, and the expression on the face of the last one was a mixture of shock and fear. After all, none of them had anticipated that a high school student would be carrying a hammer around with him.

"Uh oh, I've been seen," The student had noticed Kazou peeking around the corner, and started to move towards him, keeping the weapon into his bag nonchalantly.

"Shit," Kazou backed off and started to run, but the student managed to grab onto his shoulder with an iron grip, causing him to fall over. The cup noodles and instant coffee packets fell out of their plastic bags and scattered around the floor, and Kazou let out another curse as he looked from them to his pursuer.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you? Here, let me help you up," The student extended a hand, and Kazou hesitated. For all he knew, the student could just be playing nice, since they were in full view of the street now. Rather than risking it, Kazou shook his head and picked himself up, salvaging what he could of the items he had bought.

"Ah, don't worry about that. Here," The student fished out a fifty dollar note out of his brown wallet and pushed it into Kazou's hands. Kazou studied the student's hazel colored spiky hair that was orientated backwards, giving him an appearance similar to a hedgehog's. His sharp face and laid-back expression, complete with eyes that matched the color of his hair, gave no hint as to what he was thinking. Nodding for a moment before accepting the money silently, Kazou turned and prepared to leave.

The student stopped him before he could turn fully and brought his face closer to Kazou, the latter got a good whiff of the shampoo from the former's hair before he spoke. "I must ask that you do not tell anyone what you saw earlier. It'd be...unfortunate if something bad happens to you because of that."

"Tch," Kazou backed a few paces away from the student and turned his attention to the latter's uniform. There wasn't any sign of a feather on his collar, but that didn't mean he was safe. "Purgatory High, right? I'm a student there too."

"Oh?" The student seemed surprised, but the look in his eyes was quickly replaced with suspicion as he took a step towards Kazou. "Then you wouldn't happen to be one of them, would you?"

"Them?" Kazou feigned ignorance, knowing full well the student wouldn't be able to talk openly about Personas outside of school.

"Hmm. Guess not. Anyway, if you're from the same school, I guess we'll be seeing each other some time. Might as well do some introductions here," The student's darkened expression lightened as he shrugged to himself and offered a hand to Kazou. "Ikuto. Ikuto Raishin."

"Kazou Okumura," Kazou accepted the handshake, and something akin to electricity shot through his hand as he did. He squirmed uncomfortably as his hand began to feel numb, and Ikuto narrowed his eyes upon seeing Kazou's reaction.

"I guess that settles it. You really _are_ one of the users," Ikuto released his grip and flexed his hand. "Don't know why I didn't see you amongst the spectators today in my battle though. It matters not I suppose. You'll be seeing me tomorrow. Later."

The student turned and merged with the crowds, quickly disappearing amongst them and leaving a dumbfounded Kazou behind with his hand still trembling slightly from the literal shock he had just received. Kazou frowned a little as he realized that what Ikuto had said probably meant that the student was going to try and kill him the next day in school.

_And what was that about spectators...?_ Shaking his head in confusion and snapping himself out of his reverie, Kazou headed towards the convenience store once more to buy the stuff he needed. Ikuto didn't show up again, but Kazou constantly checked behind him just to be sure. Even if the email had stated that attacks outside of school was prohibited, after witnessing what Ikuto had done to the three men, Kazou was sure that the student would not hesitate to break the rules if it was necessary. And if that really happened, he would be defenseless, seeing as to how he had left his all important weapon at home. _Next time I'm bringing my katana along, no matter where I go._

* * *

><p>"Here we go," Kazou tossed the cup noodles and instant coffee packs into the cabinets. It didn't occupy much space, but at least there was something to fill the empty cabinets with for now. "Now then..."<p>

Kazou tossed out a pamphlet of Pegutori High onto the table, opening it up and reading the map of the school thoroughly. If he was going to go to war, then the first thing to do would be to understand the battlefield. If he was going to live, Kazou was going to need to commit the entire area of the school to his memory, and know each nook and cranny that he could duck into. The information would prove crucial during the first few days until everyone got used to the environment of the school, but by then Kazou was sure only the strong users would remain, and that the information would become obsolete anyway.

The layout of the school was surprisingly simple, and with plenty of extra space that Kazou now knew was meant for the Persona battles. Even the corridors were at least a few feet more spacious than the previous schools Kazou had been to, to allow for more movement during combat. The first floor was where the field and cafeteria were, and Kazou made sure he remembered the routes to bring any potential battles _away_ from them. Those two areas were where students mostly tend to gather anyway. The field would do good as an open battleground though, since there was plenty of free space, if Kazou could somehow manage to get the students away.

There were other special rooms for different subjects, and the amphitheater at the back of the school would be perfect as a battle stage. Kazou grinned as he imagined defeating an opponent while the school watched him, then grimaced as he realized that it would mean killing someone whilst being recorded. Shifting his eyes, Kazou saw the swimming pool located further out from the amphitheater. A swordsman doesn't exactly work well underwater, even for someone like Raigura, and Kazou made a mental note to avoid bringing battles anywhere near the pool.

There was a recreational center out back as well, and Kazou wondered how he had managed to _not_see all these facilities during his first day in school. Then he slapped his forehead as he remembered how he had decided not to go out during break and simply head home immediately after class. He had missed out on a good chance to explore, and now it was going to cost him. Still, the school was much larger than he had originally anticipated it to be. This was likely due to the space they have had to construct everything, since behind the school were simply large plots of land.

_But to be able to buy so many plots of land, construct these facilities on them and still have enough to give Persona users a hundred everyday...whoever is funding this is probably rich as all hell._ Kazou thought back to the dilapidated mansion that stood beside the school. It was a possibility that the one providing all the money lived there. _Jeez, if he did, wouldn't that mean he can spy on us without us even knowing...?_

Kazou made another mental note to himself to check out the mansion, then closed the pamphlet and redrew the map of the school in his mind's eye. Double checking to see that he got everything right, Kazou slouched back onto the sofa and closed his eyes. He hasn't slept well last night, and now the exhaustion was beginning to show. Just before he could doze off however, a light twinkling sound that Kazou identified as his doorbell sounded.

"Darn it," Kazou snapped himself awake with a quick trip to the toilet and a splash of water on his face, then rushed to the door and checked the peephole. Although the doorbell was still ringing, there was no sign of anyone on the other side of the door. He had thought that it was one of the delivery movers, since he was supposed to be expecting them today, but the peephole showed otherwise. "Strange."

Opening the heavy wooden door warily, Kazou peeked out of the crack, his hand already gripping the katana handle tightly. The email might have said that users can't engage one another outside of school, but for all he knew Kazou might be facing some sick psychopath who didn't care about his life. An elfish face greeted his eyes, and before Kazou knew what was happening he found himself staggering backwards as a result of the assault of poker cards that flew forth from his visitor's hands.

"Afternoon K-boy," Reikio pushed the door fully open and stepped into the apartment, evidently making himself at home by jumping onto the couch. "You didn't show up today, so we thought we'd visit to check up on you."

"How did you know my address?" Kazou rubbed his irritated eyes and looked at the student before him suspiciously.

"He doesn't. Loki simply followed me here," Someone else answered his question, and Kazou turned his attention towards the source of the voice standing at the door. The female councilor he had encountered yesterday stood outside, regarding him with questioning green eyes and a tilted head. "Well? Aren't you going to invite me in?"

* * *

><p>Kazou ripped open three packets of instant coffee powder and emptied them into the porcelain cups on the kitchen table, secretly glad that he had stocked up on them earlier. As he poured the hot water into the cups and stirred each slowly, Kazou observed the councilor and Reikio sitting on the living room floor with a watchful eye. He wasn't sure what they were here for, but having a councilor show up in your house on the second day of school couldn't be good.<p>

Once he was convinced that the coffee was ready, Kazou brought the three cups to the living room on a tray, settling it down nicely on the table. He didn't often have much guests, if at all, so Kazou wasn't exactly sure what he could offer to the two who just turned up abruptly in his house. Reikio looked at him with an eyebrow raised as the coffee was placed on the table. "That's all?"

"Loki, do not be rude," The councilor chided Reikio, then turned to Kazou. "This wasn't necessary, since I will be leaving soon. But since it is a gesture of goodwill, I accept."

Kazou watched the councilor drink from one of the cups with a delicate motion, replacing it onto the table as soon as she was finished. He considered asking her the reason the two were here, but the councilor seemed to have read his mind and spoke first. "Alright, let's see it. Your proof of approved leave."

"Uh?" Kazou was stunned. The councilor had traveled all the way to his apartment from school simply with the intention of seeing his medical certificate? "Sure."

Rummaging around his bag, Kazou took out the crumpled certificate and passed it to the councilor, who regarded it with a look of contempt. She held it up against the window, scrutinizing the tiny piece of paper in her hands. Then, seemingly satisfied that it was legitimate, the councilor folded the piece of paper into fours and placed it into a pocket on her chest before turning to Kazou and speaking. "It would be for the best if you do not take leave from the school for reasons other than genuine illness. Superficial injuries like yours can be easily nursed and tended to at the sick bay. Just look for Raphael."

"Uh, okay, I guess?" Kazou wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. Was he to believe that the school nurse was better than a certified doctor out in the city?

"It seems you doubt our abilities," The councilor seemed to have read his mind yet again as she jerked a thumb towards Reikio. "Just ask Loki. He experienced the healing first hand. Three ribs broken, and now walking as though nothing had happened. It is effective, no?"

"It's amazing I can still walk after being hit by that attack," Reikio mumbled grumpily. "Damn thing packed a way bigger punch than I thought my Persona could take."

"It was your own fault for thinking that you would be able to take on a hammer thrown at you head on with those little card tricks of yours," The councilor regarded Reikio coldly, and Kazou couldn't see why the student would still follow her around willingly. "Anyway, it is mandatory for me to update you on any battles that had occurred today. After the initial culling of the weaker Personas yesterday, today's number of battles have dropped to a disappointing one, which involved Loki over here. The battle ended in a draw, and would have almost destroyed the entire amphitheater if they had not managed to knock each other out at the same time."

The news of the number of battles dropping didn't surprise Kazou; he was sure the other users felt the same as him when they killed their opponents and and realized that this whole tournament thing wasn't a game. However, something the councilor said caught Kazou's ears. "You said Reikio was involved in a battle, and it ended in a draw?"

"I think that battle alone made everyone bloody awestruck," Reikio muttered several curse words under his breath as he recollected the events of the battle. "Crazy fella waltzed right up to my face, called me out on a challenge and then proceeded to try and hammer my face in."

_Hammer?_ Kazou instantly thought back to Ikuto. _It couldn't be that huge of a coincidence, could it?_

"Long story short, his petty magic tricks barely helped him escape from each situation that should have resulted in his head being smashed apart," The councilor sniffed with disdain, and Kazou got the impression she was hoping Reikio would have died in that battle. "You missed a real spectacle by not coming today. The non-users were running wild everywhere around the school. Good thing Uriel was standing guard at the gate. The other users were silently following the battle around the school, watching quietly from the sidelines."

_Spectators._ The pieces of the puzzle fell into place. So it really was Ikuto that had been Reikio's opponent today. "His name didn't happen to be Ikuto, did it?"

"You _know _him?" Reikio jumped up and almost screamed into Kazou's face.

"Well, yes, just met him earlier today when I went out actually," Kazou calmly wiped a few specks of saliva from his face, "You don't meet many students who hammer people to near death in dark alleys anyway."

"Hammer people to near death?" The councilor frowned. "But I didn't sense any disturbance in the flow of energy today...maybe he just used his physical strength and not his Persona. He might be in some trouble from the law this way though. I think I'm going to go check up on him."

"Screw that, I'm going home," Reikio was out of the apartment in five quick hops. "No way am I gonna go see that crazy guy after school. And you, K-boy, better watch out for that homicidal maniac. Bastard just doesn't know when to give up."

Kazou found himself wondering what sort of battle had happened to cause Reikio to be this on edge. He had a sinking feeling he would know tomorrow, though. The councilor stood up to leave as well, and Kazou suddenly recalled the dream he had. Taking a shot in the dark that she would know, he called out to the councilor before she went past the door. "Tell me, what is a Persona, really?"

"Did you not read the email carefully?" The councilor's answer was curt. Looking into Kazou's determined eyes though, she continued, "A Persona is a manifestation of your deepest thoughts. It is something you used to be, who you currently are, who you want to be and what you will be. In short, you and your Persona are one and the same."

"One and the same...?" Now Kazou was worried. Was what he had seen in his dream then simply an ominous omen of what is to come?

"Why do you think they said 'I art thou, and thou art I'? Your Persona is what your true feelings really are deep in your heart. If one gets a savage beast a Persona, you can bet your life that the user's heart would be more drawn towards the wild side rather than a refined way of living," The councilor paused for a moment to let Kazou digest the information. "That's also the reason why those who reject or refuse to acknowledge their true feelings end up dead, killed by their very own Personas. Any other questions?"

"N-not really," Kazou pondered for a moment over the bit of information he had just received, then looked up at the councilor again.

"Ah, and before it slips my mind again," The councilor took out something from her pocket which Kazou quickly identified as a thumb drive, "Here you go. They passed this out to every user in school today. Mind you, the information is meant to be kept strictly confidential. I don't have to remind you what sort of punishment you risk taking should it be leaked out, do I?"

"No, you don't," Kazou gulped as he caught the thumb drive thrown by the councilor in his hands, details of the penalties written in the email coming back to him. "I suppose I should thank you or something, miss...?"

"Gabriel," The councilor nodded and left the house, leaving Kazou sitting alone in the apartment with two quickly cooling cups of coffee, wondering what data could be contained inside the thumb drive.

* * *

><p>The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and the orange light of sunset was shining in from the windows as Kazou sat in his room, typing away on the keyboard of his laptop. He had just received several positive responses for his job applications, but Kazou had to turn them down with a heavy heart. The situation at his school now called for him to be fit at all times, and tiring himself out by working late into the night like he used to will simply not do him any good.<p>

Kazou's eyes shifted over from his laptop to the thumb drive sitting innocently beside him on his bed. He had not bothered to touch it at all after Gabriel had left, being more preoccupied with forums in the internet and the multiple job offers that he had to reject. But now that he was finally done with those, Kazou felt his interest in the tiny object rising once again.

He picked up the thumb drive by pinching it between his thumb and index finger, looking closely at the device that was painted black on one side and red on the other. It definitely _looked _innocent enough. Something in Kazou's guts told him the data contained within wasn't anything close to innocent though. On the black colored side of the thumb drive, Kazou could see his name labeled on it, irrefutable proof that the school meant for him to keep this.

With a mixture of curiosity and fear, Kazou plugged the tiny device into the USB port and waited for his laptop to load up the data stored inside it. A click and a whirl, and a window showed up on the laptop's screen. What was displayed in the window was simply two buttons on a red background, one labeled 'In' and the other 'Out'. His hands trembling slightly, Kazou moved the cursor to the 'In' button and clicked.

Multiple rows of pictures loaded, each one displaying a closeup of students from Pegutori High. Kazou took one look at the pictures and quickly concluded that they were supposed to show the Persona users inside the school, as the total number of pictures did not tally with the huge amount of students inside the school itself. But while the pictures showed the attire of the students clearly, their faces were covered by some sort of shadowy veil, just enough to make out the silhouettes of the student out, but not enough to show any other features.

Kazou assumed that this was meant to show the users that were still alive and kicking inside the school. It was easy enough to find his own status, since Kazou's face was the only one revealed to him. Underneath his name were a few question marks, which Kazou concluded was meant for his Persona. A click on his picture caused the window to expand and reveal several rows of data, including strengths, weaknesses, what he enjoyed doing most, his favorite sport, and other information relevant to his everyday life.

A chill was sent up Kazou's spine as he realized that everything posted was completely accurate down to the last word. It was as though someone had been watching him the very day since he was born, and had recorded down every characteristic he had ever displayed. There was even a list of major events that had happened before in Kazou's life, with the latest ironically being 'Enrolled in Pegutori High'.

Needless to say, it was daunting for Kazou to realize that his safe apartment wasn't as safe as he had liked it to be. He began to get paranoid as he looked around the apartment, half hoping to catch sight of some hidden pinhole camera. But everything looked as normal as normal could get, and nothing appeared to be out of place. There didn't seem to be anything foreign in the apartment though, and for a moment Kazou considered the possibility that it might not have been through technological means that these people were watching him through, but rather supernatural ones.

Frowning and returning his attention to his laptop, Kazou clicked on the other button, having an inkling about what it was before the page even loaded. True enough, a whole row consisting of ten-odd students appeared, their faces fully revealed together with their Personas, and a huge skull slapped over each one of them. The button had aptly labeled them 'Out', since Kazou had no doubt that each student displayed here was already dead.

Harold's static grinning face stared back at Kazou from the monitor, and Kazou felt the pang of guilt hitting him once again. His eyes moved quickly away from Harold's image, focusing more on the other students. All of the faces of the students were unfamiliar to Kazou, and their Personas didn't look like anything too powerful. Gabriel had called it a culling, and judging from the amount of students displayed, she wasn't wrong.

"And this was in the first day, huh?" Kazou sat back and sighed, wondering how many more people will have to die until the whole thing was over. A simple glance back at the rows of students that were still participating in the battles made Kazou put his estimation at well over a hundred. Kazou shook slightly as he recalled the vision he had the night before. "Over a hundred more deaths before we reach the finale..."

* * *

><p>"Damn," Kazou found himself wide awake and looking upwards at the white ceiling once again, his body and brain simply unwilling to let him sleep no matter how hard he willed them to do so. The imminent battle with Ikuto the next day was partly the reason, but more importantly, Kazou was worrying about whether or not he would be joining the ranks of those in the 'Out' section.<p>

**"You, thinking about death this early in the morning? That's a new one," **Raigura appeared at the sofa facing away from Kazou, his legs crossed and arms put together in a pose of meditation. **"If you're that worried, then all the more you should go to sleep. Having a lack of energy will only ****hasten your death in a fight."**

"Can't say you're wrong, I suppose," Kazou sat up, the muscles in his arms groaning in response. He still hasn't fully healed, but a few superficial wounds weren't about to put him out of a fight. But when his opponent is wielding a dangerous weapon like a hammer, Kazou wasn't sure if he would be able to handle it. All the other fights he had been in before, and to some extension the fight with Harold, had been mostly involving fists and legs. "Hey, Raigura. How do you think I should handle the fight? I mean, I got no skill in handling katanas, but Ikuto clearly knows how to use his weapon."

**"Are you sure? Looked to me as though he just swung it wildly at those men," **Raigura didn't sound impressed with what Ikuto had done in the afternoon with the three men who had intended to attack him. **"Your katana is a delicate blade, more useful as a summoning equipment than as a weapon. Although if it comes down to it, I'm sure you can handle a fight as long as you don't let the hammer hit your blade directly. Or..."**

"Or...?"

**"You can just summon me," **Raigura turned and winked, a shadow of a smile appearing on his lips. **"Can't be too difficult for me to handle both the user and his Persona at the same time with my speed, no?"**

Kazou shook his head, for this was exactly what he was worried about. Summoning Raigura took up a lot of his mental and physical energy, as he had learned the hard way during the battle with Harold. And if he found himself in a bad position without enough strength left to avoid an attack, it could be all over in an instant. "But summoning you is going to make me helpless to do anything much aside from holding onto something to prevent myself from falling headfirst onto the floor..."

**"That was only because it was the first time. See, I believe all the other users tested out summoning their Persona at home first, unlike a certain someone I know, so their bodies were naturally more used to the strain of summoning," **Raigura smiled mockingly, the cool night breeze coming in from outside making his robe flutter slowly around him. **"I have the utmost confidence that your life will not be ending any time soon, Kazou. Now stop worrying and turn in. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."**

The Persona faded out in front of Kazou, turning first transparent then becoming fully invisible, as though he was never there in the first place. Kazou looked away from the couch and towards the katana lying in the bed beside him, the words 'Memento Mori' glowing softly in the moonlight that streamed in from outside.

"Remember your mortality, huh?" Kazou whispered, his eyes closing as he pondered over why Raigura had etched those words on the katana. He was only mortal alright, and he might very well be dead the next day. The words on his weapon only seemed to emphasize on that, and Kazou found himself slowly drifting off to sleep with his hands tightly clutched around the weapon.

* * *

><p>Kazou had to stifle a yawn as he waited for the train at the station, the noisy hubbub of the morning not helping much with his exhaustion. It had been a bad idea to sleep with his weapon in his hands. Whilst it had done its job of making him feel safer for some reason, when Kazou turned unknowingly in his sleep, the sword guard of the katana had prodded him and caused him to be jolted awake thinking he was under assault from someone.<p>

If not for the feeling of impending doom that Kazou was feeling, he would have laughed at his silliness. However the chance of getting assaulted in school was as real as the air he was breathing in, and Kazou couldn't find it in himself to smile at all. Needless to say, he had spent the last two hours wide awake, practicing clumsy swings with his sword. He wasn't getting any better, but at least it didn't felt as awkward as it did when he first wielded it. When he decided that he had somewhat gotten the hang of it, Kazou had booted up his laptop and done some research on Pegutori High.

What he had found had been surprising. The school itself had opened up only recently, and Kazou's first day there had been the first day of a new term. Still, the school was situated in an extremely remote area, and it made no sense for anyone to want to willingly be enrolled in it. Unless, of course, there was no choice. Finding the large number of total students in Pegutori High mightily suspicious, Kazou had decided to find out why the students didn't want to pick any of the other high schools in the area. The reason was simple: several other high schools in the surrounding area had been shut down, each citing different reasons, but nearly all happening within a month of each other.

With the drastic drop in the number of available schools, the remaining high schools were forced to reject majority of the students due to the sudden surge in applications and capacity limits. A newly built school boasting state of the art facilities and welcoming every student into their fold suddenly sounded much more appealing, despite being quite a long trip away from the city. This was part of the reason most of the students seemed to know each other; they had already known each other for quite some time before being forced to transfer schools. It also explained why there were quite a number of foreign students in the school, since even if every high school only had a small bunch of them, adding them all up still makes for quite a good number. And then there were the few odd ones out who transferred here last minute, Kazou himself being one of them.

Kazou silently lamented his plight as he breathed into his hands to fight off the chilly air of the morning. The weather forecast had stated that it would be bright and sunny all day long, but evidently it had been wrong. Taking a seat in one of the cold cement benches, Kazou found his eyes shifting alternatively between the time displayed on a white clock to the students in the station that were slowly increasing in numbers.

He tapped his black shoes impatiently on the floor as a group of students gathered ten feet away from him, chattering loudly about computer games and television, blissfully unaware of the fate that awaited them once they stepped into the school. Observing the students talking amongst themselves made Kazou realize that in the situation he was in now, having some friends sharing his cause could prove immensely useful.

Kazou was sure that most, if not all of the students were against this senseless tournament in the school. If he could somehow gather up a group of them, Kazou could potentially root out the mastermind behind the whole thing. Granted, friendship worked two ways, and even your best friend could turn and bare his fangs at you in times like these. Kazou's attitude was an automatic turnoff for most people, and the few that actually communicated with Kazou were those who wanted to beat him up. And, of course, there might be people whose mindset were as perverted as Harold's. But maybe, just maybe, if he can somehow get people who think similarly to him on his side, there _might_ just be a chance...

The train pulled into the platform with a screech, and the white doors opened to allow the commuters to enter. Normally the interior of the train would be packed full despite its large size, but since it was still quite early in the morning, Kazou found himself easily able to find a seat. All of the students avoided the row of seat Kazou was sitting in, no thanks to the katana that made him stick out like a sore thumb. It wasn't like Kazou minded though, and he kept his face low, pondering over what to do when he meets Ikuto in school. The sound of footsteps approaching him broke Kazou's concentration, and he looked up to see Reikio grinning playfully at him.

"Morning, K-boy," Reikio seemed to have taken a liking to that nickname, despite Kazou having never told him his name. Knowing how Reikio liked to stick around Gabriel, Kazou had no doubt that he had obtained the information from the councilor. The student took out a fresh packet of poker cards, the seal still firmly intact, and emptied the contents onto his hand. "We got a big day ahead today, huh? Crazy bastard's gonna be after both of us."

"As if," Kazou scoffed in reply. The email had specifically stated that there could only be one battle per day for each person. "We got a fifty-fifty chance of being on the receiving end of the hammer. You've read the rules, haven't you?"

"You reckon?" Reikio grimaced as he began shuffling the cards in his hand at an incredible speed. With a jerk of his hands, one of the fifty four cards shot out of him and landed precisely on Kazou's lap: the Trickster. "I've done some talking with my Persona yesterday night. Turns out him and the Persona of that fella goes back a long way."

"And you're telling me this because...?" Kazou held the card up, observing it carefully. He had forgotten where the other one Reikio tossed at him on their first meeting had gone. It could be inside the washing machine now for all Kazou could care.

"Means he's more likely to want to go after me first instead of you, kapish?" Reikio looked decidedly more grim as the train neared its destination. "Yesterday was kinda a major fluke. His hammer fucking _hurt_. Don't let your Persona be hit by it."

"Then all the more you should be concerned, no?" Kazou didn't understand what Reikio was trying to tell him, although the last part did seem like sound advice. "What was that about not letting your Persona get hit?"

"You don't know?" Reikio seemed genuinely surprised about Kazou's question as another card flew out from his deck, this time an ace of spades. He caught it squarely in his palm before continuing, "Damage to your Persona is dealt directly to you. You must have had one heck of a first battle if your Persona didn't get hurt at all."

"Yeah well, mine is slightly over the top in terms of power and speed," Kazou mumbled. He wasn't lying after all, since Legion didn't stand a chance the moment Raigura appeared. Legion's strength had been in numbers, and once those numbers had been decimated, only a weak lump of darkness remained. Still, Ikuto didn't look weak at all, and he had survived two days thus far and even managed to tie with Reikio, so his Persona must have been tiers higher than Legion.

"Humph, good for you," Reikio snatched back the Trickster card from Kazou's hands as the train pulled to a halt, signifying that it was time to leave. Reikio's anxiety could easily be seen from how he looked over his shoulder every now and then, and by the way seemed to quicken his walking pace every half minute. What should have been a five minute walk was cut down to just three due to the walking speed of Reikio, but Kazou didn't argue as he matched the former's pace.

Soon enough the two arrived at the wide open front gates of the high school, the student councilor standing at the gate staring at the two of them questioningly as they stood outside, neither one wanting to enter first. Kazou turned to Reikio, who was shuffling cards with an even faster speed than before. He suspected that the cards was a way of relieving stress for the blonde haired student, and possibly were a form of weapon as well. How they worked was for all to guess though.

"I just realized," Kazou broke the awkward silence, then yawned before continuing, "You've been playing nice with me since this morning, to the point of walking with me to school. What gives?"

"I told you I'd be the one to kill you for trying to steal Gabriel away from me, didn't I?" Reikio's mood lightened as he flashed his usual playful grin at Kazou. "So I just didn't want either of us to die before that happens, ya know?"

"Ah, thought it was something along the lines of that," Kazou shivered a little as a cold wind blew around him, the black uniform he was donning doing little to insulate him. Somehow, Reikio didn't seem to annoy Kazou as much as other people did by simply being around him. The benefits of having someone to count on was invaluable in times like these, but Reikio's statement had quickly crushed Kazou's wishful thinking. "You know, we _could_ always just get that battle over and done with right now..."

Reikio's shuffling stopped at Kazou's proposal, the cards all dropping perfect into the palm of his hand despite him no longer looking at them. Kazou could almost hear the student's brain working as he considered the offer, the grin momentarily wiped from his face. And then, just as quickly as it had vanished, the playful smile returned. "You know, I like the way you think. Let's do this right now once we go in, you and me, one on one."

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but I doubt that's gonna happen," The councilor had strayed from his post at the gate and was now standing before them, running a finger through his black hair and taking out a single strand. He pointed back at the school with his other hand before continuing, "Seems someone was waiting for both of you. Dedicated guy came here half an hour before school even opened. Naturally, I let him in. He's been stoning at one of the pillars ever since, just staring at the entrance."

Kazou struggled to remember the councilor's name. He was sure Gabriel had mentioned it during their meeting yesterday, but his memory failed to place the word. Still, the name of the gatekeeper didn't exactly happen to be as large a concern as the student awaiting their arrival inside the school. Kazou didn't have the least bit of doubt that the student the gatekeeper mention was Ikuto, and when he looked at Reikio's face he was sure the other party felt the same way.

"You're...Uriel, right?" Reikio's voice sounded somewhat strangled. "That student...was it the one who battled with me yesterday?"

"Gabriel's been giving out names, I see. I know she's the messenger, but that's still no excuse to drop names like candy," The councilor mumbled to himself, then nodded in response to Reikio's question. The strand of hair he still held in his hand suddenly glowed red before bursting out into flames, and Uriel let it fall to the ground. "Looks like one of you is going to burn out like that strand today."

"Ah fuck," Reikio's face turned pale, his hands moving to shuffle the cards once again. He turned to Kazou, the smile from earlier now all but gone. "Still wanna have that battle?"

"Remember, you have to be _inside_ the school grounds to initiate any battle," Uriel reminded them as he headed back to his position as gatekeeper, having spotted several students approaching the school. "I recommend you both stay out here as long as you want until school starts and make a decision, since it's clear enough that the guy won't be moving from his spot until he sees either one of you."

"What do you think?" Kazou asked Reikio, whose eyes were solely concentrated on his cards as he shuffled them in his hands, the movement fast enough to cause them to become a blur.

"Prolonging the inevitable for another fifteen minutes or so huh?" The shuffling stopped, and the cards snapped perfectly into Reikio's hands. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

><p>The two of them sat outside the walls of the school in silence, using the part of the surrounding wall that jutted outwards as a makeshift bench. Kazou wasn't even sure why he was doing this with Reikio, since the latter had made it clear that Ikuto would put priority on him. Still, Kazou believed it was a fifty-fifty chance. If one were to die, the other would be next. Kazou had a feeling that even if the situation was reversed and Ikuto was more likely to target him than Reikio, the latter would do the same and sit outside with him, 'prolonging the inevitable' as he had put it.<p>

Aside from Reikio shuffling his cards, the only other sound Kazou could hear was the sound of footsteps from students arriving in the school, sometimes alone, other times bunched together. They didn't seem worried in the least about what had happened on the first day of battles, nor on the second day. Gabriel had said that the non-users had all ran wild in the school when Ikuto battled Reikio, and yet today they were all acting as though nothing had happened. Whatever the school used to temper with the memories of these students, it was clearly doing its job.

A few of the students that went past shot curious looks at the two as they sat outside, but neither one found themselves disturbed by any comments from outsiders. The morning sun's rays had finally started to warm up, and Kazou felt the chill that had followed him since he left his apartment finally beginning to dissipate. The sunlight shining down on the entire route and school gave the area a serene look, and Kazou observed the tiny particles of dust floating around in the air soundlessly.

Looking at dust was quite a slow way to pass time, and Kazou felt the minutes tick by lazily. The small leaves from the huge trees planted around the school fell around him and his sitting partner, and Kazou brushed them off every few seconds or so with some annoyance. Eventually the silence proved a bit too much for him, and Kazou found himself starting to curse at the trees as they dropped their leaves onto his hair and uniform. "Damn shitty trees. It ain't even autumn yet, why the fuck are they shedding their leaves?"

"Maybe the leaves know that their time has come," Reikio replied grimly, the speed of his shuffling having been maintained throughout the whole time he had been sitting down. "And maybe they just want to cling on to something, like clutching at straws, ya know?"

"You know, your pessimism is contagious. I mean, I don't even know how powerful Ikuto's Persona is yet, but just looking at you got me quaking in my fucking shoes. I mean, what the hell, man?" Kazou stood up and looked at the large clock displaying the time at the highest point of the school. They still had another two minutes or so before the bell rang. "Is he really that all powerful as you make him out to be? Does his Persona have some sort of instant kill ability or something?"

"Look who's all worked up now, eh?" Reikio stood up as well, his speed shuffling not slowing down in the least despite the movement. "Just got a bad feeling about today, that's all."

"Know what, I'm just gonna walk into the school, and if that bastard challenges me, I'm gonna cut him a new hole with this katana," Kazou held out the blade before Reikio. "Wait, fuck that, I'm gonna cut a _lot _of holes in his body if he picks me. Let him try."

"Trying to garner up some courage? Keep trying," Reikio flicked the fingers on his right hand multiple times as he threw the top four cards of the deck into the air, then collected them all in one smooth motion with his left. Kazou saw some of the gleeful glint return to his eyes as he revealed the cards in his hand. "You know, it just might be working. Ace of every suit."

Reikio's fingers moved twice more, sending the top two cards flying into the air. This time, Kazou darted forward and caught one of the two before the student could. He looked down at the picture of the winged demon, the crooked and misaligned wings somewhat fitting as it sat in a relaxed but confident posture. Holding it up to show Reikio, Kazou spoke the name of the card out loud. "The trickster."

"The trickster," Reikio grinned in reply, flashing the same card back to Kazou, the mischievous smile on the printed demon's face not unlike the one on the student's. Letting the rest of the cards fall to the floor and scatter all about, Reikio turned towards the school gate, just in time as the bell for class rang.

"Aren't you going to use those?" Kazou looked at the cards as they fell from Reikio's hand. "I thought they were your weapons."

"They are. But I've got plenty, and it's natural for me to use a new pack every battle," Reikio watched as the last of the cards landed on the floor, with the Trickster card landing on the very top of the stack. "Let's go, K-boy."

"Don't call me that," Kazou grumbled, hopping over the cards on the floor and adding the trickster in his hand to the stack. It may not have been much, but he felt as though something had developed between him and Reikio during the time they sat together contemplating about the battle with Ikuto. Something that could very well prove to be the start of what people call friendship.

* * *

><p>Uriel's head was cocked to one side as the two approached him, knowing full well that it was time to them to accept their fate, for better or for worse. "Made your peace with the gods?"<p>

"I'll make peace with the gods after I'm done with Ikuto," Reikio's hand reached into his bag as he took out a fresh pack of poker cards, ripping the seal and wrapping off with ease. "Things would be so much easier if you guys actually allowed ranged weapons, but eh, too late for that I suppose."

The two stopped one step before the school, taking in the sight of Ikuto leaning against a pillar and being surrounded by girls. It would seem that he was quite popular with them, and Kazou could see why. There was this calm and collected aura about the student that Kazou would have called cool, was he not aware that his life might be ending by the student's hands. Ikuto noticed them at the same time they saw him, and he ceased entertaining the girls instantly as he shifted from his spot.

"Ladies," Ikuto addressed the circle of girls around him with an air of chivalry, "Pardon me, but I have some business to attend to. Class have started, so you should all be on your way as well."

The group of girls giggled as they nodded and moved out of Ikuto's way, presumably going up to their respective classes. Ikuto watched them leave with folded arms and a far off expression, then turned to the two standing at the gate, his eyes solely focused on Reikio. "About damn time. Was beginning to think that you wouldn't show up."

"'About damn time', he says," Reikio mimicked, "Well, of course it is. It's eight in the morning, innit?"

"What you just said made no sense," Ikuto looked around them, the school compound being completely deserted save for a few scattered individuals here and there on the different floors. Kazou was sure they were users who had observed the battle between the two yesterday, and were here just to catch more of the action. The number of observers started to gradually increase in numbers as Reikio and Ikuto stood before each other, staring each other down. "Yesterday was an unfortunate turn of events, what with us both being knocked out, but I shall make sure that history does not repeat itself."

"What, the councilors chided you for almost destroying a whole facility with your lightning shit, so now you have to engage me at the school gates?" Reikio sniggered as the speed of his shuffling slowed down. "What if I don't want to step into the school? What can you do then, scream in rage at me whilst frothing at the mouth?"

"Oh please," Uriel rolled his eyes, a tiny ember of red barely visible in them as he did. "You have one minute to enter of your own free will, or I will _make _you do so. And you don't want the second option happening, mark my words."

"There you have it," Ikuto smiled confidently, unzipping his bag and taking out the same hammer whose strength Kazou had bore witness to a day ago. Now that he had time to properly take in the details of the weapon though, it didn't look too special or unique. Kazou was sure that underneath the uniform Ikuto was wearing was a body that had been through countless training, if the outlines of the muscles in his body was anything to go by. "You got one minute to prepare to meet the business end of my hammer."

"Aren't you going to accept his challenge, Loki?" Gabriel had appeared without warning on the other side of the gate, the beeping that sounded from a device on her hand quickly quietened with a push of a button. She was holding onto what seemed to be a notebook of sorts, and writing something in it with a vacant expression. "First battle of day three, and you have the privilege of it being delivered to you on a silver platter on your first step into the school. You should feel honored."

"Honored that I'm about to enter a match that could be spelling my doom, sure, why not?" Reikio sighed as his shuffling ceased completely and he turned over the top card, revealing the Trickster once again. "Looks like lady luck's on my side today."

"Luck shall play no role in our duel today," Ikuto refuted as the air around him started to crackle with energy, small blue bolts of lightning emanating from him and dispersing as they hit the floor. "Come, Reikio. I'm waiting."

Kazou patted Reikio's shoulder as he entered the school first, now positive that Ikuto wasn't going to target him. True enough, Ikuto barely seemed to even register Kazou's presence, his eyes firmly locked onto Reikio. "Don't die."

"I told you, I ain't dying till I get back at you for trying to steal Gabriel from me," Reikio sneered in response as he turned back to Ikuto. Holding the card of the Trickster up, he stepped into the school as a cold wind began to blow around him. "Alright, let's go."

"Ha, finally," The electrical energy around Ikuto was beginning to increase in quantity as they spread out more and more, the bolts now randomly striking things and leaving a black charred spot where they struck. The hammer in his hands seemed to be a magnet for the stray bolts after a while, and with each strike it glowed decidedly more blue. "A duel between gods."

Around Reikio, it was the exact opposite. The cold winds that surrounded him was causing his two locks of hair to flutter wildly, and the path he walked on turned into a freezing white with each step he took. Kazou could feel the cold air even though he was a good five meters or so away from Reikio, and it only got more frigid as Reikio moved. "Just to finish what we started, eh?"

The two slowly approached each other, and Kazou was sure this confidence only came because they were both sure that they knew what kind of attacks the other party would try to pull due to their battle from before. The bolts of energy and chilling wind finally met at the middle, then passed by each other without as much as a falter. Both of them proceeded to move another few feet away from each other, and then whirled around to face their opponent at the same moment. Ikuto's hammer seemed to be fully charged, and Kazou saw the printed demon of the card in Reikio's hand start to move. At the same moment Ikuto smashed his hammer down into the ground to bring forth a large surge of electricity, Reikio tossed the card in his hand onto the floor, and together they screamed the same word. "Persona!"

**"LOKIII!" **A loud voice rang out from the heavens as the sound of glass shattering reached Kazou's ears. Thunder rumbled in the skies above the school as the surroundings turned dark, the sun being blotted out by an ominous black cloud of lightning. A single strike of blue lightning came shooting down from the cloud and into the spot Ikuto had hit with his hammer, the resulting energy shattering the cement floor easily and kicking up a fog of dust. Kazou could make out the outline of two humanoid figures in the dust, one of them being Ikuto and the other, his Persona. The fog cleared away just as quickly as it came, and Kazou finally laid his eyes on the Persona that was responsible for the electrical energy surging all around them.

To say it looked human would be underwhelming, for Ikuto's Persona towered at least a head and a half above the already tall Kazou. The Persona's muscular arms and legs were fully revealed in all their glory, and there were odd black markings on the tanned skin of each limb. He was donning white gauntlets and greaves that complimented his muscles perfectly, and on his chest was a golden piece of mail, each piece of the armor perfectly interlocked with each other to form a formidable defense. The mail was laid over what seemed to be a belt of sorts, and Kazou resisted the urge to laugh as he realized that the Persona was only wearing his underwear.

On his head the Persona wore a golden viking helmet, the two black horns on it orientated downwards. The helmet covered the entire face of the Persona, and revealed no facial characteristics save for the two electric blue eyes that shone forth from it. Two long locks of black hair that emerged from underneath the helmet flapped in the wind together with the long white cape tied around the neck of the Persona as it pointed its weapon at Reikio. Coincidentally, the weapon the Persona held in its hand happened to be a hammer as well, although it was much larger than the one Ikuto wielded, and had a sharp point jutting out at the top. **"Loki, cower not before thy destiny."**

**"Cower? You make me laugh, Thor. Even after eons, you never change,"** A sly voice replied to Ikuto's Persona, and Kazou looked to see the card that Reikio had thrown shimmering on the ground. It appeared to have become completely frozen, a white sheen of ice wrapped around the card and causing it to reflect the sunlight. A crack appeared in the middle of the card, and from that fracture a literal snowstorm poured out, dropping the temperature around it as it did. Amidst the ice a single figure took form, its shape familiar to Kazou, who recognized it instantly as the demon printed on the Trickster card.

With the demon in full view, Kazou could make out more of the finer details of Loki that could not be seen when it was still inside the card. The Persona was hovering in the air, his arms folded in a posture of arrogance. The wings that kept him afloat were colored black with a tinge of blue on the underside, and resembled those of a bat's. Majority of his body was covered in a skin tight purple suit, with silver latches attached to each other being used in place of buttons.

Loki looked relatively human aside from the wings, and was about even height to Kazou, so Thor easily dwarfed him. His hair was the same blonde color as Reikio's, but was long and flowed behind him, easily reaching the part of his back where his wings appeared from. The two locks of hair that stretched down from his head in front of him was ridiculously lengthy though, and rivaled his entire height even though he was standing up straight. What little of his true skin color could be seen from his face, the green hue a stark contrast to the dark colors that made up most of his image.

A splatter of purple replaced the green on the left side of his face, looking almost akin to a mask of sorts. True to his title, behind his cunning eyes and wolfish grin Kazou could almost see a playful, if sinister mind. The trickster unfolded his arms and lowered himself down, legs merely inches off the floor. His wings arched in an awkward angle, and Kazou was sure the Persona could twist them howsoever he wished without fear of pain. Sneering at Thor, Loki watched as his opponent's grip on his weapon tightened, a sure sign of mounting rage. **"My, my. You still harbor such hatred for me, even after so much time has passed? It isn't good to bear grudges. You should let bygones be bygones, brother."**

**"Do not group me together with the likes of you!"** Thor's hammer glowed a dangerous blue, Loki's words seemingly having hit a raw nerve. **"I will not acknowledge someone such as you to have the same blood as father's running through our veins."**

**"Hmm, speaking of father, you don't think he's watching, do you?"**

Loki seemed unperturbed by Thor's reaction, and rather, seemed to be enjoying poking fun at the Norse god.

"**If he is, then he shall bear witness to my smiting of thee with Mjolnir!" **Finishing his sentence, Thor tossed his hammer towards his opponent, the weapon discharging lightning as it flew.

Loki's wings spread out to their full span as he placed his hands together, conjuring up the winds and forming a physical wall of ice before him. The hammer struck at the wall, but didn't lose any of its velocity upon impact, continuing to move forward stubbornly. Sparks flew as ice and metal clashed, but with a sudden crack the frozen wall gave way and crumbled apart. Neither Reikio nor Loki could be seen though, for the two had mysteriously vanished when their defense fell.

**"Coward!"** Mjolnir returned to Thor's hand with a swift turn, and the Persona gripped it tightly as he hammered the ground, causing a shower of sparks to rain down on the area before him randomly. Ikuto wasn't in the least concerned about the risk of being struck by the bolts, and was keeping his eyes peeled for anything that might give the location of Reikio and his Persona away.

**"I prefer the term, 'Trickster'," **Loki replied, his voice springing forth from everywhere around the combat area. Kazou now knew why Gabriel had said that Reikio used petty magic tricks. No matter where he looked, there was no sign anywhere of the blonde Persona and his user. **"Shall we play hide and seek for the rest of the day? Only this time I'll find a perfect spot, and I can guarantee you, you'll never find me."**

**"Everyday you hide, never daring to face someone in direct combat. If I ever get my hands on you..."**

Thor looked at Ikuto, who seemed just as frustrated as his Persona, trying to figure out where his opponent was hiding.

"Yesterday he took to the skies, but today's a new one with a magical disappearing act," Ikuto narrowed his eyes at the area before him, turning from the school gate to the spectators watching from afar. Then, as if he just had a stroke of inspiration, Ikuto made a circular gesture with his hand as he spoke his command aloud to Thor, "I got feeling he's still here somewhere. For instance, he might just be using some trick to appear invisible...in that case, then we'll just _bombard the whole area with lightning._"

Thor nodded in response as he held Mjolnir up high, the weapon's glowing getting brighter as he charged it up. And then in one swift motion, the hammer was brought down to meet the ground, sending out a large pulse of electricity as it did. Kazou felt his hair beginning to raise, a sign of the static electricity in the air. He didn't have enough time to move though, for Thor's attack fell a split second later.

White and blue energy rippled outwards in a dramatic fashion from the point Thor had struck with his hammer, causing destruction to each spot that was unfortunate enough to be in their path, and leaving a trail of singe marks behind them. However, despite the wild looking nature of the attack, Kazou realized that it was in fact being controlled very expertly by Thor. The lightning did not come close to the spot that Kazou was standing on, and also avoided landed near either one of the councilors.

"Quite a show of power and talent, isn't it?" Gabriel commentated as she continued writing on her notebook, occasionally looking up, but otherwise not really paying attention to the battle. "Makes you wonder how Loki managed to survive the first day."

Kazou kept silent, for now the reason that Reikio had been so afraid was clear to him. Ikuto's Persona, Thor, had undoubtedly enough strength to put him amongst the top tier of Personas. His power could very well rival Raigura's, and Kazou wasn't sure how long Reikio could last against such an opponent.

"Fuck!" Reikio's voice cried out not too far from Kazou, and he looked forward to see something shimmering away, revealing the student having been brought to his knees. His Persona was in a similar pose, and it wasn't too difficult to guess that Loki had been the one hit by Thor's attack. Reikio clenched his teeth as he struggled to pick himself up, the cards in his hand scattering all over the floor. "Didn't think you'd really use that attack in the beginning. Overpowered piece of shit."

"You're trying to pull some stunt with an invisibility magic? I didn't know you could pull something like that with ice," Ikuto snorted in contempt, then rushed towards Reikio with his hammer raised. "Too bad it's the end for you!"

"Loki!" Reikio tossed a card in front of him as Loki lifted a hand, sending the card flying towards Ikuto. It stopped directly before the spiky haired student, and a huge blast of wind shot forth from it without warning, flinging Ikuto backwards a good ten meters. Thor felt the attack on his user as well, but to a lesser extent, as he only staggered back a step before regaining his balance. "Darn it, five of hearts. Not nearly enough power."

"Hey, what gives?" Kazou looked at Gabriel, who was apparently still uninterested in the battle before her. "I thought the rules said no ranged attacks were allowed."

"It's his style," Gabriel shrugged, "Besides, he didn't attack the user directly using those cards, so we consider it an attack by the Persona. As such, it's allowable."

"You can do that...?" Kazou never thought that the rules could be bent this way. Now that he thought about it, there might be some loopholes in the rules that he can exploit, some way to end this conflict in the school without killing. His thoughts were interrupted by a clap of thunder, and he turned his attention back to the battle.

Thor had just helped Ikuto to his feet, the giant easily lifting the student up with one hand. The wind attack from Loki didn't seem to have fazed either Ikuto or his Persona, but Reikio and Loki, on the other hand, were still recovering from the lightning that had hit them. Ikuto flashed a victory smile at Reikio as he slowly approached his opponent. "When I couldn't see you, I had to reduce Thunder Reign's power to allow it to spread out evenly. But now that you're completely in the open, it'll be easy to finish you off."

"Says you," Reikio replied through his ragged breathing, his body shaking due to the damage Loki took being transferred to him. It was fortunate that the Persona had a much higher electrical resistance than a normal human, and as such no fatal amount of electricity was passed on to Reikio. Still, the damage from two direct shots of lightning wasn't anything to scoff at, reduced or not. "That attack requires a huge amount of concentration and charge up time, and since you used it this early in the fight, you won't be able to use it again any time soon. Besides, it's not as if I'll be stupid enough to stay here and let you zap me."

"True, but who said anything about zapping you?" Ikuto was drawing close to Reikio's position now, no more than a mere six meters away. Thor stood beside him protectively, probably to guard against another wind attack like the one Loki had pulled when Ikuto approached alone. "Smashing your face in with this hammer would be good enough."

"Tch, as if. Loki, plan B," Reikio managed to take a few steps backwards as his Persona conjured up a huge cube of ice. It looked fragile and appeared to be breaking apart though, and Ikuto laughed as he took in how weak the ice looked.

"What's this, a joke? Is that supposed to impede me in any way whatsoever?"

**"No, but **_**this**_** is," **Loki replied, a sly smile having formed on his lips. With a sudden movement of his arms, the cube shattered into countless pieces, the sharp icicles flying towards Ikuto. Thor easily swatted all of them away, but as the pieces of ice hit the floor they began emitting something not unlike fog.

"This...dry ice?" Ikuto looked around at the scattered pieces of ice around him, each doing their part to add to the ever increasing fog. Rather than the usual thin layer, the fog emitted by each piece of the ice was thick and hampered vision greatly. With at least one piece in nearly every corner of the battlefield, Ikuto found himself quickly becoming hopelessly lost. "How many damn tricks do you intend to keep pulling..."

**"Don't move. That's exactly what he wants," **Thor placed a hand on Ikuto as he started to take a step forward, preventing the latter from moving. **"If we can't see each other then we'll be at a disadvantage. It'll be a fool's errant for us to play into Loki's hands. We'll watch each other's back, that way he won't be able to get either one of us."**

Ikuto nodded as he brought his back to his Persona's, taking slow, deliberate steps forward. Ordinarily this sort of fog wouldn't have hampered Ikuto and he would have just used the clock displayed in the school as a sort of landmark, but the fog this time was caused by supernatural powers, and as such was dense enough to reduce vision to a mere meter or two ahead of them. With both his movement and attack restricted, Ikuto could only cuss quietly under his breath as he and his Persona leaned against each other, both ready to move at the first sign of a surprise attack.

**"That Loki...what is he playing at?" **Thor flexed the fingers of his free hand as Mjolnir's slowly began to regain its glow. It wouldn't be too long before his most powerful attack became available once more. Until then though, his attacks were limited to physical ones. A movement in the fog caught the Persona's eye, and instinctively Thor flung his hammer towards where he had spotted the fog shifting. It passed through the spot harmlessly...and then didn't return. **"What trickery is this?"**

"_**MY**_** trickery, brother," **Loki's voice came in response, and the fog around the two began to shift as though it was alive. It moved with intent, dispersing and then reforming until Ikuto and Thor realized too late what Loki had really planned: A thousand pointed needles of ice positioned themselves in the air mere centimeters from Ikuto's defenseless body, forming something similar to an iron maiden. With the fog now completely cleared away, Thor could see why Mjolnir had failed to return to him. Loki had encased the hammer in a chunk of ice, and was constantly keeping an eye on it to make sure it never burst free from the icy prison. He had also positioned himself a good fifteen meters or so away from Thor, and as such did not have to worry about being physically assaulted. **"I win this one, do you not agree?"**

**"Not yet,"** Thor mumbled, keeping an eye on both Mjolnir and Ikuto. The latter was in an uncomfortable position, with any unnecessary movements causing the icicles to prick him and draw blood. Loki's concentration and power was divided between maintaining the prison of Mjolnir and positioning the icicles around Ikuto though, and a quick glance at his hammer assured Thor that there was a way out of the sticky situation Loki had placed him in. Kneeling down to get to eye level with Ikuto and keeping his voice low, Thor explained his plan to his user, who could only listen with beads of sweat falling down his forehead. **"Mjolnir is almost fully charged. I can free it from the bind Loki placed on it if I concentrate enough, but in turn I'm sure Loki will not hesitate to plunge the ice through your body. The speed of my hammer might not be fast ****enough to reach us, and if it isn't, your life will end here. That is why I must ask if you're willing to take this risk. Are you willing to trust me on this? Blink once if you are, twice if you aren't."**

Ikuto closed his eyes once slowly and deliberately, then reopened them and looked at the Persona before him with faith. There was a risk of him dying either way, and having a chance to be able to cheat death was certainly a far better choice than _certain_ death. He winced as another icicle pricked him, this time on his face. Ikuto could see the pure white of the ice being tainted red with blood out of the corner of his eye, and a warm trail of the red liquid slowly trickled down his chin. Either it was just him, or the icicles were increasing in length slowly, and Ikuto was plenty sure that it wasn't the former.

**"Very well. You're indeed a user worthy of someone of my caliber," **Thor turned his electric blue eyes towards Loki, who had both hands up in the air as he maintained the power to keep both Mjolnir bound and have the spikes move in closer on Ikuto. Rather than standing up, Thor remained kneeling, and his hand flew outwards as he summoned his hammer to his side forcefully. **"Mjolnir, to me!"**

Ikuto watched the whole thing happen in slow motion: first Mjolnir began to rock violently in the cage of ice, then in another second the power in the hammer proved too much for the prison it was encased within to handle, and the ice shattered into pieces as the weapon flew towards its rightful master. Loki's face displayed surprise and fear, which quickly transformed to anger as he turned his baleful eyes towards Ikuto. Without the need to contain Mjolnir any longer, Loki could now fully focus his power on the ice around him, and the Trickster brought his hands together as the icicles increased in length, heading towards Ikuto's skin with every passing millisecond.

Mjolnir was still in midair, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that even at the incredible speed it was flying towards Thor, there wouldn't be enough time for it to reach its owner before the ice pierced Ikuto's flesh. Ikuto closed his eyes and prepared to accept his fate, but as he did so he felt something grabbing his leg. The ever extending icicles, the flying hammer, all of it vanished in a blur as Ikuto felt the whooshing of wind and found himself face to face with the Norse god that was his Persona, completely at a loss for words.

Thor winced as he took the icicles that were originally meant for his user. The ones that hit his golden mail bounced off harmlessly, but his arms were unprotected, and as they pierced his tanned skin, the pain that Thor felt was echoed to his user. Ikuto felt the echoed pain tearing through the muscle and tissue on his arms, but he choked back the urge to yell out. If Thor was hurting, he certainly didn't show it, and the Persona pulled out the icicles stuck in his arm without hesitation.

Drops of blood flowed freely from the puncture holes, but Thor took it in his stride as he picked up Mjolnir in his hands. The hammer felt heavier than before, no doubt a result of the wounds he had endured, but it was going to take a lot more than some ice to stop him from wielding it. Mjolnir was glowing the same electric blue as his eyes as he raised the hammer towards Loki, who was looking decisively vexed. **"It ends now, Loki."**

"Shit," Reikio staggered out from behind his Persona, falling forward and barely able to stand. "Didn't you tell me to leave it to you, Loki? Fuck, look at the mess you've got us into now."

**"Aye, what a mess," **Loki's tone had dropped to a soft one, the confident edge he had before now all but gone. He should have expected Thor to pull something like protecting his user from the ice. He had one perfect chance, and he had wasted it, and now the tables had turned. Loki's mind worked feverishly as he tried to find a way out of the unfortunate position he and his user was now in, but for once the Trickster's mind came up empty. **"What a mess indeed."**

"The effects of that lightning is finally starting to get to me," Reikio dropped to the floor, his expression pained as his left hand began to spasm. "Can't even feel anything in the left part of my brain right now. Fuck."

**"You know," **Loki drifted down beside his user, his expression brightening up a little as he thought of something. **"We could always try Niflheim."**

"But we...no, you're right. If we don't use it now we won't have a chance to use it at all," Reikio slammed the deck of cards in his hand onto the floor, causing them to scatter all around. Gathering the four aces from the scattered cards with his right hand, Reikio placed them in the pattern of a pentagon, leaving the top spot open for the card of the Trickster. "It's all or nothing then, Loki. Anytime you're ready."

**"In case we don't make it, I've had fun the past two days. And today was even better, since it's been a while since my last clash with a god. And who better to go out with a bang with than Thor himself?" **Loki was shrinking in size as he spoke, and soon he had returned to the form of the Trickster card he originally took. **"If we live through this, I got a feeling that girl you're after might finally start noticing you."**

The card took its place in the pentagon, and as it did the air around Reikio started to blow with a cold wind, the moisture in the air beginning to condense rapidly, as white mist started to emerge from the cards laid on the ground. It resembled the fog that Reikio and Loki had utilized earlier, but this time Kazou felt a terrible power emanating from the pentagon together with the mist. This was going to be Reikio's final attack, his ace in the hole.

All this time, Ikuto and Thor moved ever closer to the two, a defiant stubbornness displayed in both the eyes of the Persona and his user. The air around the two was beginning to crackle with electrical energy once more, and Mjolnir had regained the glow that it first possessed before Thor used his most powerful attack to force his opponent out of hiding. Still, Kazou could see that Ikuto was physically tired from the effort of using his Persona's special attacks, his breathing heavy and ragged, his facial expression one of suppressed agony. The physical wounds to his arms he had recently suffered only served to further increase his exhaustion.

Ikuto and Thor stopped moving six meters away from their opponent, leaving enough space for their attacks. The two looked quite the sight, Reikio sitting on the floor with the left part of his body shaking uncontrollably, Ikuto standing and looking as though his knees might buck at any moment. The battle had taken its toll on the uniform of the two as well, and both articles of clothing were torn in more places than one. But neither one was willing to stop what they were doing, both hellbent on finishing what had been started.

* * *

><p>"Niflhelm?" Gabriel had finally stopped jolting the notes down on her notebook, and was now looking at the two combatants readying their final attacks. For once the councilor appeared worried about the battle happening in front of her, a frown forming on her thin lips. "If that clashes with Thunder Reign, we might have some problems..."<p>

"Let them play, I say," Uriel was looking in the directions of the classrooms, where a lot of students had been drawn out of by the sound of thunder and lightning. Already some were running amok in confusion, although a few of the more courageous ones stayed in the relative safety of the walkways on the upper floors and watched the fight with curious eyes. "Those non-users are gonna try and get out of the school again...at least with the battle occurring here and blocking off the only way out, they won't be able to attempt an escape until it is over."

Kazou watched Reikio and Ikuto worriedly; he had a gut feeling that if their attacks were to hit each other, it was really going to end with someone dying. And that was the last thing he wanted, since they were both powerful Persona users, and would be formidable allies if they helped him in his cause. And the last thing he wanted was to lose any potential allies to the cold of the grave. Kazou's eyebrows furrowed as he thought hard of a way to stop the two.

_It doesn't look like I can stop them with mere words, but they are both tired out. If their attacks fail to hit their target..._ Kazou covered his mouth with his hand as he continued thinking. _How could I interfere with a battle though...? There just has to be some way to bend the rules like what Loki did._

And then an idea took root in Kazou's head as he stared at the two battlers. Turning to Gabriel, confident that she would have the answer to his question, Kazou asked, "The rules never said anything about not being able to jump into a battle that's already started. If I join in now, it's still considered one battle, because I haven't used up my chance today yet, and those two aren't finished with theirs. So it's allowable, right?"

"Hmm? I guess so," Gabriel looked at Kazou inquisitively. "You've been hanging out with Loki quite a bit, haven't you?"

"Heh, is it that obvious?" Kazou drew his katana from its scabbard and thrust the blade into his chest after a moment's pause, the fiery pain from the fulminating inferno of white that burst out within him assaulting his every senses. His Persona's words to him the night before rang true though, and the flames went away as quickly as they came, taking the pain along with it. Raigura stood where the final embers of the fire was quickly flickering away to nothingness, his attention fully focused on the ongoing battle before him.

**"Orders?" **The swordsman obviously wasn't in the mood to talk, having seen the entire situation through Kazou's eyes and understanding what was going on perfectly.

"Your blades can cut through anything right? _Slice their attacks in half,_" The words came out of Kazou's mouth quickly, and even as he said it he realized how ridiculous it sounded.

**"You understand that you're practically asking me to cut lightning and mist?" **Raigura's hands were already on the handles of Sanzura and Xeletho. Normally he would have used Cenoren, but his targets were using ice conjured from the coldness of Norse hell, and lightning from the divine realm above the clouds. Neither of those could be truly considered to have come from the mortal realm, and Raigura was aware of that fact. **"Not that I'm not confident in my speed, of course. But it's your own life you're putting in jeopardy here for the sake of two people, one who was going to kill you for stealing his girlfriend, and another who wants to smash in your face in when he has the chance. Are you sure you want to endanger your own life for those two whom you scarcely even know?"**

"If you are truly my Persona, then you should know only too damn well I don't like people dying in front of me. Besides, those two got-" Kazou's eyes flashed to Gabriel and Uriel beside him. He was certain they were part of the organization who set the whole Persona tournament up, and as such had to pick his next word carefully. "-potential."

"**Well said," **Raigura nodded and turned towards his targets, walking forward whilst unsheathing his two katanas. His prowess was going to be reduced due to wielding such long weapons with one hand each, but the blades felt light and comfortable in his grip. **"I never thought I'd have to use two hands again."**

* * *

><p>Raigura approached Reikio and Ikuto cautiously, the energy emitted by the power of their Personas now so powerful that it seemed to be tearing the very air around them apart with raw force.<p>

On Reikio's side it looked as though winter had come early, with white precipitation flying all around in conjunction with a gale whose temperature was low enough to freeze the scattered poker cards as they were picked up by the wind. Fallen leaves from the trees were not spared either, and those that drew too close to Reikio and the pentagon were frozen in a cube of ice instantaneously.

Around Ikuto and Thor it appeared as if they carried an entire thunderstorm above their heads, with the lightning freely spewing forth randomly and striking against the cold wind that Reikio had generated. The blizzard seemed to act as a sort of shield though, and each bolt stopped a meter away from their target, blocked off by the white mist.

The three turned a questioning eye to Raigura as he stood before them, unsure what was going on with the swordsman suddenly appearing before them. Raigura pointed his katanas at the students and Personas both sides, showing his intentions clearly. He still kept in mind the details of the email though, and spoke out loud nonetheless. **"Reikio and Ikuto. Kazou issues a challenge to the both of you. I'm his Persona, and my orders are to retrieve the both of you alive. So take my suggestion: both of you drop the sorcery you are evoking right now before I take action."**

"What the hell?" Reikio turned and looked at Kazou, who only returned the stare with an apologetic look. Lifting his good right hand with the middle finger raised at Raigura, Reikio flinched a little as he felt the effects of the electricity starting to affect his entire body. "K-boy thinks he can just jump in like this and get a slice of the action? Fuck off, ain't happening."

"For once I'm in agreement with him," Ikuto growled at Raigura. "What is the meaning of this intrusion? I have neither the time nor the energy to entertain you. Thor, get him away from here."

A discharge of energy flew towards Raigura's face at Ikuto's command, but the swordsman cut it without as much as flinching. His face stoic, Raigura kept both blades raised as he walked in between the combatants. **"Do not contest my blades. It will not end nicely."**

"Fuck contesting your blade! You want to get in the middle of our attacks then you better be ready to get your ass kicked hard," Reikio raised his right hand and pointed a finger at Ikuto. "I'll get rid of _both_ of you at the same time!"

"My sentiments precisely," Ikuto's hand flew out in response to Reikio, his palm open. "Thor, you know what to do."

Thor held Mjolnir aloft as the hammer began to discharge bolts of blue and white lightning, and the pentagon around Reikio lifted off from the floor and faced his opponents. The white mist was pushed back and forth by the electric field Thor generated, and Raigura felt his skin tingling as he stood in the middle of it. He brushed the feeling off though, for the attacks of the Personas would come in any instant, and Raigura couldn't afford to let his concentration lapse for even a second. Ikuto closed his palm forcefully after a moment as though he was crushing an insect with it, and Raigura took that as the signal that both parties were going to attack. His intuition was spot on.

"Thunder Reign!"

"Niflhelm!"

Thor's hammer struck the ground forcefully as Ikuto yelled the name of the attack, and with it the plasma energy that Raigura had witnessed through Kazou's eyes earlier pulsed out in a circle on the ground, a harbinger of the deadly force that was to come from the clouds above. Thor fell to his knees as soon as his hammer hit the ground, the Persona now truly out of power and putting his trust in his final attack. Raigura held no doubt in his mind that the concentrated version of Thunder Reign would have enough speed and power to easily pierce through him and Reikio, but the lightning wasn't the only concern the swordsman had to face.

On his other side the white mist had surrounded his body and was reaching out for Ikuto's. The mist held malevolent intent, moving forward like a malicious specter. Raigura presumed that once it managed to get its icy grip on Ikuto, it would completely freeze them both. A cracking of ice sounded behind Reikio as the air around him began to solidify, forming large glaciers that followed the path the mist had laid out for it moments before. The ice moved forward and spread out at a constant speed, and Raigura knew it would only be a matter of seconds before he found himself frozen where he stood.

His long hair rising due to the static in the air, Raigura decided on the most suitable course of action. He would have to cancel out Niflhelm first before dealing with Thunder Reign. His left hand holding Sanzura flicked, and the mist that had encircled him faltered for a moment as the blade cut through it. Then, turning to look at the skies, his right hand held Xeletho up high for a moment, watching the lightning flying towards him. When the trajectory of the lightning bolt brought it close enough, Raigura let Xeletho fall upon it, the edge making contact with the raw force of nature. There was a huge amount of resistance as Xeletho forced the lightning backwards, the blade of darkness small in comparison to the large blue stream of energy that the heavens spewed forth.

If it was an ordinary human in Raigura's position right now he would have been killed countless times over by the catastrophic energy that came forth as a result of both the lightning and ice, the latter having wrapped around Raigura around the lower portion of his body and chilling him to the bone. But the swordsman was unable to effectively use the power of the katanas in his hands to their full extent while wielding them with one hand each, and as such it was all he could do to hold the lightning from Thor in place. Holding something like lightning in place didn't mean that the power it had was ignored though, and even though Xeletho could keep the attack at bay, it was unable to dissipate the energy of the electricity it was holding back.

Raigura's body started to tremble, partially from the electricity that was running through it, and also from the coldness he felt in his legs that was steadily moving upwards. Blood flowed out without restrain from his right hand as the electricity created blisters on it, but Raigura's hold on Xeletho was adamant, and his face did not even display the slightest bit of pain despite the blood. Kazou was feeling all of the pain as well, but unlike his Persona he was freely screaming out in pain on the floor as he felt the skin on his palm being ripped open again and again. Lurching forward before his knees buckled on him, Kazou let out another scream of agony as he felt his legs becoming painfully heavy, the feeling akin to being bind down with thick steel chains that were clamping tighter around him with every passing second.

With the lower half of his body already encased in ice and unable to move, Raigura clenched his teeth and looked towards Reikio for a moment, a plan formulating in his head as he did. The blade of Sanzura was just long enough to reach the pentagon from which the mist was pouring out of, and this was what allowed Raigura's plan to work. Memorizing the location of the cards, then turning back to the onslaught of electric energy still attacking his Xeletho, Raigura's left hand moved once more. Sanzura's white holy blade attacked each of the four ace cards on the pentagon with incredible precision, cutting each one perfectly in half and causing them to flutter down to the ground harmlessly.

The crystallization of the mist slowed down considerably due to the attack losing its mediums, and Raigura returned Sanzura to its scabbard as he turned his attention towards the crackling energy Xeletho was still slicing through. Both hands clasping the handle of his katana tightly, and knowing that Kazou would not be able to last much longer if he took in any more electricity, Raigura swung Xeletho upwards with all his strength. The blade severed the lightning cleanly in two, and the two rouge bolts were redirected to the only spot behind him: the gates of Pegutori High.

A loud explosion sounded as the destructive power of lightning hit the white gates and sent it flying into the air, broken into multiple pieces. The metal hissed red hot with heat as it crashed onto the floor meters outside the school, blue sparks still visibly traveling across its wide frame.

Uriel appeared unhurt by the attack that should have hit him since he was leaning against the gate when it exploded, but his eyes twitched with a spark of anger as he spoke, "He just destroyed my gate."

"Holy...shit," Reikio was shaking his head in disbelief, the Trickster card that Loki had took the form of falling to the floor. Those were his last words before he fell into a slump on the floor unconscious.

Thor started to vanish, and as he turned transparent the muscular Norse god's eyes looked somewhat disappointed. Ikuto collapsed onto his knees, feeling completely drained of energy after his last attack and knowing that he could no longer fight. "Bested in combat."

Raigura himself stood alone between the two, the ice on his legs defrosting quickly now that they had completely lost their source of power. Sliding Xeletho back into its scabbard on his back, the swordsman turned towards Kazou and issued him a nod before he started disappearing from the material plane.

"Hey, Gabriel," Kazou spoke to the councilor as he lay on the floor, his body absolutely worn out and hurting everywhere. "I hope the school nurse is as good as you made him out to be."

"Hm? Why?"

"Because my body feels like I've took a trip into the oceans of Antarctica while hugging a transformer from a power plant that's been programmed to run at full power underwater. Oh, and I'm seeing two of you in front of me right now," Kazou's vision began to swim, and he did not fight it as he closed his eyes, allowing sleep to claim him and numb the pain.

* * *

><p>"Oh man," Those were the first words out of Kazou's mouth as he woke up, followed by a groan as his head throbbed with pain. After a moment the pain dulled, and Kazou managed to let out a confused grunt over where he was. His eyes shifting into focus, Kazou saw his bag and weapon lying on the floor beside the bed. Turning back to look at the ceiling, he flinched as he realized that there was a bright fluorescent light directly overhead him.<p>

The light nearly blinded him as Kazou turned away to the side, the afterimage remaining for a couple of seconds as he blinked. Kazou winced as he tried to push himself up from the white cushioned bed. His bones ached and protested at the effort, but eventually he managed to get into a sitting position and had a better view of the room he was in.

The entire room was painted white, and there were a few light blue curtains providing some privacy to people who were on the lying on the bed behind them. Cabinets and drawers of all sorts and fashions were nearly everywhere in the room, and those that weren't locked revealed their contents to be some sort of medical equipment or bottles of nasty looking medicine. Files were scattered around the single brown table in the room, and sitting on a green office chair was the same councilor with purple and pink streaks in his hair that Kazou had seen entering his classroom during his first battle in the school. A doctor's coat was draped over his black councilor uniform, and it made his appearance all the more odd. The councilor had evidently noticed Kazou stirring awake, for his eyes were locked onto him.

"Afternoon. You were out for two hours straight, and that's a lot considering my healing abilities," The councilor slid over to Kazou whilst still seated atop his chair. "You caused a lot of trouble for us today. Uriel was _this_ close to finishing you off while you were still in dreamland. See, he absolutely _loathes _people who mess with the gate that he was guarding."

"Reikio...Ikuto...where?" Kazou wasn't interested in what the councilor had to tell him about the gates of the school. He had risked life and limb to stop the battle between those two, and there were his first and foremost on his priority list.

"Isn't it obvious?" The councilor jerked two thumbs in opposite directions, pointing towards the beds that were beside Kazou's. "I figure you guys will want to have a good long talk about how you're going to massacre each other when you get the chance again, hmm?"

Kazou shifted the curtains that were blocking vision of the other beds out of his way, and found himself face to face with the accusing eyes of Ikuto and the playful grin of Reikio. The former was looking sombre as he snorted at Kazou before returning his attention to the window beside him. Reikio didn't seem as perturbed by the incident though, and was sitting on his bed with his legs dangling down the side of the bed leisurely.

A sudden scream outside the room caused all four to turn their attentions towards the door, and the loud sound of running footsteps could be heard as several students zoomed past, followed by more. The councilor sighed as he stood up and walked to the door before addressing the three students in the room. "Now the whole school is in even more of an uproar than yesterday, thanks to your silly antics of destroying the gate. I'm going out to check up and see if Uriel can handle everything. Stay in your beds and don't move. The healing takes some time to work."

The noises made by the students from outside increased in volume as the councilor opened the door and stepped outside, then softened once more as it clicked shut. Kazou turned from Reikio to Ikuto, unsure what to say to either of them. With the councilor out of the room it was the most opportune moment for him to explain to them why he had stopped them from killing one another, but Kazou had no idea how he should start.

"Why?" Ikuto spoke first, saving Kazou the trouble of thinking up a suitable conversation starter. "Your Persona interrupted our fight, took on both the attacks we launched at each other, and then didn't cut us down with those swords of his when we were vulnerable. Why?"

"Because I hate to see people dying, that's why," Kazou answered honestly. "Tell me, if you had a choice, would you willingly participate in this battle the school set us up for?"

Ikuto stared hard at Kazou for a moment, then looked out the window once again, the clouds outside moving lazily over the blue sky. "Of course not. I doubt most of us would."

"But what we want doesn't change anything," Reikio slumped down on his pillow and yawned. "So tell us, really, what's your intention for not killing us both?"

"Don't you want this senseless killing to stop? If you don't like it, don't you want to put an end to all of it?" Kazou paused, allowing the question to sink into their minds. "Or would you rather see the amount of people in this school die off one by one, with their blood on your hands because you didn't want to stop whoever set this sick tournament up?"

"We're all just trying to save our own asses, K-boy," Reikio yawned once again. "We don't know anyone in this school, and those that we do know are the ones that will try to kill us. And I know I definitely don't want to die, even if I have to murder someone in cold blood to avoid that fate."

"That's what I'm saying," Kazou was beginning to get worked up. "We don't _have _to kill anyone anymore, if we just stop this whole stupid competition thing in the first place. Just as the school gave us the ability to kill each other, it also gave us the ability to stop them. If we can just work together-"

"So _that's_ your motive for not finishing us off?" Ikuto cut Kazou off. "Then let me tell you, I outright reject your proposal. I am not going to work together with people in an environment where anyone can turn on you on a whim. Especially not with my life at stake. You want to save people, fine by me, but you do it yourself. Just don't expect me to bend over and accept your philosophies."

Kazou bit his lips as he was left flabbergasted. He had not been expecting to get rejected this hard, and certainly not in this matter. In hindsight, he should have guessed that they wouldn't go along with his plan though. After all, everyone placed their own lives above the life of someone else. Still, it had been worth a shot.

"Only the strongest Persona user would be left at the end, Ikuto," Reikio spoke softly. "K-boy does have a point. If we can strike at the heart of whoever is behind this whole thing, we won't have to worry about getting killed by someone stronger in the later part of the school year."

"You, of all people, _agree _with him?" Ikuto squinted his eyes at Reikio, then stood up, grimacing slightly from the pain as he did. "Because your Persona spared me, I'm going to call a temporary truce. I will refrain from engaging you for now, Kazou. But mark these words, you're going to regret leaving me alive today. Next time, Thor's lightning shall strike true."

Limping slowly, Ikuto moved over to the door and opened it, flashing one last look of vengeance at Reikio before he left. The blonde haired student grabbed a fresh pack of poker cards from his bag on the floor and proceeded to spread out the whole deck on the bed. Kazou was about to ask him what he was doing, but Reikio explained even before he asked the question. "For your information, Niflhelm and Thunder Reign...neither of us had perfected our techniques yet. But Thor and Ikuto both clearly had the power advantage over me and Loki, since he used that technique yesterday as well. I heard he actually learned how to use it during his first battle, and Ikuto had been training with it since then. And of course the more you use it the better you get."

"So it really was a major fluke that we tied on our first battle yesterday, since I melted the ice into water just in time as the lightning hit Loki, causing both him and Ikuto to get electrocuted. Thor shoved him out of the water after a second of course, but he had been knocked out by then, as was I due to the echoed damage from Loki's injuries," Reikio sighed. "That day after I left your house, I went home and _begged_ Loki to teach me how to use his powers properly. He merely told me the basics for Niflhelm, and like I said, the more you use it the better you get. Right now five cards is all I can manage; any more and I'd knock myself out cold before the attack did anything. Someday though, I'm gonna be able to use the whole deck. That will be a sight for sure."

Reikio folded his arms and looked serious for once. "So...yeah, Thunder Reign would have triumphed over Niflhelm earlier today if your Persona wasn't there. I guess you could say I'm thanking you for saving my life?"

"Don't worry about it," Kazou nodded at Reikio, causing the latter to regain his jesting smile. "I'm sure I'll be able to get more people on my side in due time. We'll definitely stop whoever is behind this whole thing."

"Yeah," Reikio agreed, then his grin became lopsided as he kept the cards and giggled like a child. "By the way, you do realize that this still doesn't excuse you from trying to steal Gabriel away from me?"

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><p>Gabriel shook her head as she looked at the two students interacting inside the sick bay from outside, having heard every word spoken by them through the door. After a moment, she lifted the communication device on her wrist to her mouth. "Metatron, should we quash the rebellion before it gets too far out of hand?"<p>

"Nay, let them do as they please for now. Human nature is really quite captivating. It's only a matter of time before everything starts breaking down for them," The heavy voice spoke with a slight metallic twang, and as it laughed one could almost hear the gears grinding in the owner's throat. "I trust you and the other will know what to do should they ever pose a threat?"

"Certainly," Gabriel lowered her wrist and began to play with a lock of her white hair as she looked into the room Kazou and Reikio were in. "I wasn't wrong the first day. Befriending the Trickster and attempting to get the Norse god of lightning on your side in a situation like this...Kazou Okumura, you really are something else."

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><p><strong>Author's notes: Couple of things to say here. <strong>

**Firstly, the mechanics of the battles does not follow strictly P3 or P4 mechanics. So yes, that is why Loki has powers over both wind and ice. And I don't blame you if you saw Thunder Reign (concentrated version) as a giant beam of obliteration from the skies. You don't necessary_ have _to follow in game graphics and the likes anyway. Besides, it's Thor. Thor is cool, no?**

**Secondly, holy crap my English fails. You don't have to remind me of how little I described things or how flat my characters' personalities and how many times I reused the same words, thank you very much. See, the last time I took English class is over a year...so yeah.**

**Well, I guess that's all. Review or something, although viewing would be good enough. If you want to blast me about how much I suck and should stop updating, feel free as well. Although you should blame any mistakes in text on my proofreader, because I'm too lazy to proofread. Ha! ...Okay, I jest, you can pin the blame on me. Still, mistakes are aplenty with a story of this amount of length even with two of us proofreading, so forgive me if you spot a mistake. Now, excuse me while I go think up something for the next chapter. (And possibly adjust the rules I made in chapter one. So many loopholes. Then again, that's what allowed Kazou to fight in the first place in this chapter, eh?)**

**Couple of words from my proofreader before I end this.**

**Trace: And with a simple incantation, Aoa released the tempest she held in her fists, a wild storm flowed through her target, shredding it into a million pieces...**

**Or something like that. Whatever.**

**Well, I hope you liked this part. I did, at least.**

**Though, I really do suggest throwing away your Persona visions of the -dynes, mudo/hama, and basically every move you've seen in the game. They don't work here. (Creepy foretelling.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes: So it's been three months since the last update…school and real life can be a bitch at times. My writing standard has probably also dropped drastically, but I guess I'll try to get it together. The feeling you get when you complete a chapter and look back on it is wondrous and extremely satisfying…suffice to say, I missed that during the past three months.**

**Well anyway, this chapter introduces a **_**ton **_**(like, five of them…) of OCs, and I've had to get them to be linked together somehow (meaning a crap ton of character development. Take your time to know them though; each one is integral to the plot). My original intention had been to squeeze in a battle somewhere in between, but my proofreader advised me against it, since it'll go **_**waaaay**_** past my normal thirty page quota, and it might cause the reader to get brainrot from having too much information to digest. I still think the chapter came out great though, but I suppose that's for all of you to decide. For now, settle in and enjoy the read!**

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><p>Kazou tested out his body as soon as he was out of the sick bay, stretching each of his joints and tendons and snorting in disbelief as he realized that his injuries had indeed completely recovered. He wasn't sure exactly what the councilor had done to him whilst he was unconscious, but it was clear that the method he had employed was nothing short of magical, as there was no sight of any physical means of healing anywhere on his body. The skin on his hands, which had been a raw red color two hours before, had miraculously reverted back to their original state with not a single scar to be found. The only hint that he had ever taken part in the battle with his own Persona was a dull ache that Kazou found impossible to pinpoint.<p>

Reikio walked alongside him, an eyebrow arched in the air in amusement as he observed Kazou making a fool out of himself as the latter experimented with his now nonexistent injuries. The two of them continued to make their way towards the ground floor, and when they arrived at their destination they found Gabriel leaning against the stairwell with her arms folded, the look on her face suggesting that she had been expecting them for quite some time. The councilor's demeanor, contrary to her surroundings, was calm and collected, and she simply waited for the two coolly as they approached her.

Reikio's greeting towards Gabriel as he drew closer to her was a tad too enthusiastic, and several students turned their attention towards the loud salutation that the former had literally shouted. Their expressions quickly changed to one of terror though, and the students nearest to Reikio scampered like rats who had just laid eyes upon a predator. Reikio watched them scatter with a glint of amusement in his eyes, though he quickly changed his mood to a more serious one as he turned to Gabriel, who didn't seem to be impressed at what had just occurred.

"You're not helping with the situation," Gabriel spoke in a chiding manner, her emerald eyes glaring at Reikio. "I highly recommend you to keep a low profile, at least for the rest of today. Triggering a riot might force us to take some pretty drastic measures."

"Who cares? They'll forget everything by tomorrow, anyway," Reikio shrugged in response, withdrawing a packet of cards from his bag and tossing all of them into the air, letting them drop to the floor in a mock celebratory shower. "Victory! I didn't die today either, so I'm going to stick around you even more. Maybe I can find out what your favorite food is or something."

"You're beyond help, Loki," Gabriel turned away with a flustered expression as she shook her head, and Kazou resisted the urge to chuckle at the interaction between the two. Reikio was hopelessly smitten, Gabriel had that much correct. The councilor stepped away from the two of them, and then seemed to have stumbled upon an idea as she whirled around to address them once more. For a moment Kazou caught the troubled look on her face, a strange light flickering in her eyes, as though she knew something and was mentally debating with herself whether to tell them about it. Then her lips parted and she spoke, but the question wasn't what Kazou had been expecting. "Would you like me to escort the two of you to the gate?"

Kazou considered the situation as he looked at his surroundings. The school was currently in a state of utter chaos as students shoved each other out of the way in their attempt to leave the hell that they now had knowledge of. The sheer number of students was overwhelming, and they could easily become a dangerous mob should Kazou or Reikio find themselves surrounded. It was a worst case scenario, but should it really happen, the two would find themselves forced to retaliate in self defense, and that would result in unnecessary casualties. With not much cons to take into consideration, Kazou nodded in response to Gabriel's offer, and Reikio did likewise.

Beckoning the two to follow her with her hands, Gabriel turned and started to step towards the direction of the school gate. Kazou found himself pondering over what it was the councilor was thinking about earlier as the three of them moved, but his thought processes were quickly put to a jarring halt as he noticed the environment around him beginning to turn blurry. Solid objects around him began to melt until they resembled something akin to oil, randomly swirling around him in various different shades of brightness. Gabriel seemed unconcerned with what was happening as she continued walking briskly in front of the two students, and Kazou, searching for answers, found himself turning to Reikio.

"Chill, dude," Reikio grinned, the look in his eyes telling Kazou that this wasn't the first time he was experiencing this. "Here comes the fun part."

Kazou felt a pressure pushing against him as the three of them continued to move, and noted that with the exception of his two companions, everything else around him had now become a color in some form or another. Each of the colors mixed as they collided with one another, taking on a brighter hue with each collision and gaining more brightness until the primary color was lost entirely and became replaced with a pure white light. All this while, the pressure forcing Kazou backwards increased in intensity, and just as he thought that falling over backwards was inevitable, the pressure withdrew, and alongside this change the colors of the world around him fell back into place and became solid objects once more.

Kazou looked forward and found himself gasping involuntarily as he realized that he was now standing before where the gates of the school once were before they were blown away by the sheer force of Thor's redirected attack. Yet Kazou sensed something amiss: he had taken no more than twenty steps alongside Gabriel, but had somehow wound up in front of the school gates. Even if one were to take large strides, it would take them at least a few minutes to arrive at the school gates from where they had started, yet somehow the journey had been completed in less than twenty seconds. For a moment, Kazou found himself staring at Gabriel intensively. His mind could arrive at no other conclusion than the councilor being able to defy the rules of physics entirely, but as much as he wanted to believe that it was ridiculous, Kazou found no other explanation for what had just happened. It was similar to how he could not explain Raphael's healing of his wounds, and the feeling was beginning to gnaw away at him.

The entire student body was amassed at the front gates, and the sudden appearance of Gabriel, Reikio and Kazou before the gates caused them to back off in astonishment as a sudden silence overtook them. The stillness was short lived though, for soon the crowd started muttering amongst themselves, their object of focus shifting from the destroyed gate to the three who had materialized before them. Kazou strained his ears to pick up on what the students closest to him were saying, and soon realized that majority of the students were only here because of curiosity over what had happened to the gate. There were some that had bore witness to his battle amongst the crowd though, and the petrified look on their faces easily allowed Kazou to identify them. Still, the most they attempted was to move backwards in order to shun him.

Some of the more rowdy students near the back started to create a ruckus, screaming threats at those who elbowed them as they struggled to get a good view of the three. The noise created started to increase in intensity as the students near the back started to shove those in front of them, and as it reached a crescendo, a burst of red flames rose up into the air. The roar of the fire drowned out all other sounds, and for a moment things came to a complete standstill as everyone watched the inferno tower over them, threatening to engulf them in a sea of flames. Then, its objective accomplished, the fire seemed to extinguish itself, becoming mere embers that drifted slowly towards the floor.

The eyes of all in the school compound followed the dying embers downwards until they landed before the gatekeeper, who was leaning against one of the insurmountable white walls of the school. Where the school gate used to lie, there was now a blockade made out of flames, and Uriel promptly made them vanish with a flick of his wrists. The look on the councilor's face was one of annoyance, but he swiftly stepped aside to allow the students to pass through. "Is everybody looking at me? Good. It's a couple of hours too early, but the whole gate is gone now. We'll have to fix this by tomorrow, so go home."

The students before him looked at each other in confusion and fear, not one of them daring to move. Uriel, now not even bothering to conceal his annoyance, snapped his fingers once, causing a circle of flames to surround the student body, slowly closing in on them. "I think we seem to have a misunderstanding over here. When I said 'go home' earlier, I wasn't _asking_ any of you to do so. I was _demanding _it."

The last sentence out of Uriel's lips, combined with the flames that were closing in on them, was enough to drive the students into action. They started to move out of the gate in swarms, urged by the students at the back who were feeling the heat from the flames that were too close for comfort. The last ones to go were the few students who had witnessed the battle between Thor and Loki, and gave Reikio a look somewhere between respect and fear before they left. With the school compound now empty, Uriel snarled as he turned towards Kazou with blazing red eyes that resembled flaming meteors. A red flame formed in the gatekeeper's palm, flickering in the afternoon breeze as it started to turn blue, the heat emitted from it blowing straight in Kazou's direction.

"And as for _you_, who destroyed the gate I was in charge of. Though Personae users have a higher resistance to this, shall I turn up the heat and burn off every memory you hold dear?" Uriel's threat made Kazou realize the reason that the former was always standing guard at the school gates. _This_ was how the school was tempering with the memories of its students. With the gatekeeper constantly standing guard, every student who left the school had their memories involving Personae and the like burned away by his fire each time they passed through the gate. It was also the only way in or out of the school, and thus was unavoidable unless one wished to make his home in the school itself. Kazou considered whether it would be possible to jump over the walls of the school to run away, but quickly realized that the notion was ridiculous, as the only way back to civilization was through the path to the train station, and Uriel could easily spot someone running away from his vantage point at the front gate of the school. It would be a simple job for the gatekeeper to just fry anyone who attempted to escape with a snap of his fingers.

"Uriel, please. Your words are going to cause trouble for all of us." Gabriel pouted as she walked up to the gatekeeper and lowered the latter's arm.

"Fine," Uriel didn't look pleased to back down, but Gabriel's words seemed to have knocked some sense into him. His rage did not subside one bit though, and Uriel growled at Kazou through clenched teeth, "But that doesn't meet you're getting away with this. I'll remember this incident."

Stepping aside, Uriel allowed Kazou to step through the gates, and the latter cringed as he did so, half expecting his body to spontaneously combust. He let out a breath of relief when nothing happened though, but decided to play it safe and recount everything that had happened earlier, from meeting with Reikio on the train till the time he was inside the sick bay. Halfway through, Kazou stopped and chuckled as he realized how futile the effort was. If his memory really _had_ been burned off, he wouldn't even remember it anyway.

Turning towards Reikio, Kazou decided to wait for the former to join him on the way home. Reikio seemed to know what he was thinking though, and declined his offer by waving Kazou off. "I'm sticking with Gabriel for the rest of today. My battle chance for the day's already been used up, so there won't be any risk of death for the next twenty-odd hours. See you around, K-boy."

Kazou nodded as he held up a hand in a farewell gesture before turning away from Pegutori High for the third time in his life, trying to ignore the burning eyes of Uriel which threatened to bore a hole into his back. The walk towards the train station was uneventful, and as Kazou took a seat amongst the students who were waiting for the train home, he realized that many of them were already chatting happily amongst themselves. The negative feelings brought forth by the appearance of the Personae and the memories of the terrifying supernatural powers that Uriel possessed was now all but gone from their thoughts. Kazou shivered a little at how effective the councilor's ability was, the smile on the students' faces a testament to that.

What Gabriel had said to Uriel before Kazou left the school confirmed his suspicions. The student councilors were clearly working in collaboration with the mastermind behind the school, and if Kazou wanted to stop the one behind everything, he would have to go through each of the councilors first. It was easier said than done, as each exuded an aura of raw power that threatened to overwhelm one should one be unprepared. Still, Kazou was confident that if he could manage to get enough people on his side, bringing the councilors and the mastermind down wasn't a far off possibility.

Looking at the scenery outside through the train's square windows, Kazou absentmindedly chewed his lower lip, watching as isolated grass fields eventually gave way to large buildings and modern facilities. The train pulled into the station of Sendai soon after, the gray floors and blue signs an incredibly welcoming sight to the students on the train, except for one who knew the truth. Most of the students got off the train the instant the doors opened, and Kazou was amongst the last to alight as he stepped out reluctantly, the ache that he had thought was gone coming back to haunt him as he pondered over the single question in his mind.

"Where would I be able to get more people to help me?" Kazou found himself muttering his thoughts aloud as he started on his way home. Reikio joining his cause was good, but he was still only one person. Kazou had bet on Ikuto being able to see the reasoning of his ways, but the hammer wielder had flat out declined his offer and threw it into his face. Ikuto's refusal still left a bitter taste in Kazou's mouth, and the latter shook his head to clear away the negative thoughts. He would have to take things as they came, whether he liked it or not. For now, a hot bath and a meal at home was all he wanted. "Tomorrow's another day, I guess."

* * *

><p>The evening sun's orange rays shone dimly into the room as Nagachi Kotogawa looked at the mirror of the of the room's open wardrobe, silently contemplating at his own reflected image staring back at him. His own sharp face gazing back at him seemed to be smirking, an arrogant light shining in his iris. He was wearing a dark blue denim shirt and black pants, the dark colors matching his black hair and eyes. The clothing complimented the slender frame of his body well, although Nagachi preferred the uniform of Pegutori High, if only because it didn't restrict his movements in the slightest.<p>

Nagachi was, and probably still is, physically the fastest person amongst his peers, even back in grade school. He _would_ have been renowned for his speed, and probably _would_ have broken quite a few records, if not for his refusal to show his prowess in front of anyone but his closest friends. Even without showing how amazing he was in sports though, Nagachi would make his classmates jealous with his high grades, often topping the class easily. But while he was amazing both physically and mentally, Nagachi always has a cold and distant aura around him, and this caused people to keep their distance from him.

Adjusting his glasses so that they no longer appear tilted in the mirror, Nagachi let his line of sight move around the darkened room until it stopped at his roommate and childhood friend. Osamu Kuroki was sitting on a chair and staring at the computer screen somberly, his gray eyes reflecting the soft glow that came from the monitor. The screen was displaying the number of student casualties in the school for the day, and his friend's sad expression was something Nagachi had been seeing only all too often since they were enrolled into Pegutori High.

Nagachi found himself reminiscing back to their childhood times; to a period of time when he still had a close group of people he could call friends. The two of them had met at the age of five, and their attitudes towards people even now were as different as day and night. Osamu was an optimist and often friendly to everyone, while Nagachi had already developed an aloof attitude by then, preferring to be alone over the company of others. Due to a medical condition causing his eyes to be extremely sensitive, Osamu had to start wearing sunglasses everywhere, and this condition evidently did not mesh well with society. Gradually, as the flow of time passed, Osamu started to become more of an introvert, his pale complexion and now quiet personality often causing people to describe him as creepy.

Perhaps it was because he sensed that Osamu wasn't that much different from him that Nagachi never dropped his friendship with the former altogether like he did with some others. Those that tried to get to know Osamu would soon discover that his optimist quirk never went away completely, but when people tried to get associated with Nagachi, the results of a conversation more often than not ended up as a disaster. His standoffish attitude was too much to be able to maintain a proper conversation with people for more than five minutes, and oftentimes appeared to be too uncaring about the subject at hand. The results of having such a distant personality for majority of his life were biting Nagachi hard in the back now though; it wouldn't be a stretch to say that Osamu was Nagachi's _only_ friend.

Osamu let out a depressed sigh as he switched the screen off and rotated his chair around, blinking twice to allow his eyes to adjust to the image of his friend standing behind him before he put on his sunglasses. He was donning an orange t-shirt and neon green pants, the cheerful colors a contradiction to the unhappiness he was showing on his face. Nagachi shifted his eyes slightly to let his friend know he was listening, though his face was devoid of any sort of emotion. Having spent so much time together, they were able to read each other like a book, and right now Nagachi knew what his friend was thinking. Their pasts were not so different from one another after all.

"I just don't understand what's going through their minds. Is killing other people that aren't much older than you for some monetary rewards really worth it?" Osamu looked towards his friend for an answer, although he knew he probably wasn't going to get any.

Nagachi shrugged in response, closing the door of the wardrobe and reaching into his bag, pulling out his weapon of choice that he had been bringing to Pegutori High since he obtained his Persona. It was a beautifully thin dagger, no longer than seven inches, with a carefully maintained edge. The handle of the dagger was wrapped in a white cloth, and the blade protruded out from a ring guard in the middle of the dagger. The ring guard allowed Nagachi to utilize the weapon as a makeshift katar should the situation call for it, and made stabbing things with it a much easier job. It also provided a form of self entertainment for Nagachi, who would often spin the weapon around his finger, and this was exactly what he did as he stared at Osamu.

Rather than thinking about how to answer the question his friend had asked him, Nagachi decided to fire off a question of his own. "And why beat yourself up over something you can't control?"

Nagachi, of course, already knew the reason why. Having lost his sister due to health complications four years ago, followed by his mother who took her own life shortly after, Osamu's entire life had been thrown into a wreck with two of his family members dying in short succession one after another. His father up and vanished from his life a month after, but contrary to what one would expect, the departure of his final family member did not break him, instead instilling a great desire inside Osamu to help people. This desire manifested itself by him aspiring to be a doctor, but ironically it was this aspiration that was causing him to feel such grief: he had no way to help anyone who had died in the school.

"You know damn well why," Osamu rose up from his chair in a rare outburst of rage, but quickly contained himself. "Dammit."

"There, you let your anger out. Feel any better?" Nagachi stopped twirling the dagger around his finger with a jerk of his hand, grabbing hold of the handle of his weapon perfectly in a daredevil stunt, a small glint of satisfaction appearing in his eyes as he performed the feat. Unlike his friend, Nagachi had absolutely no intention to help anyone whom he isn't acquainted with. His coldness was brought forth as a result of his family background as well, for his mother died in a freak accident when a fire broke out in a mall that she had brought him to.

Nothing but a child then, Nagachi could only tremble in fear as he watched people fleeing the mall, not one of them taking notice of the lonely child who had been separated from his mother in the ensuing chaos. When the firemen went in and finally located him, they brought him out right away, but by the time the fire was put under control, Nagachi's mother still did not turn up looking for him. It was stated by some witnesses that she had desperately searched for him despite being inside a burning building, to the point of endangering her own life, and when the whole building collapsed, she and several other firemen who had went in to search for survivors were buried underneath.

Nagachi still distinctly remembered people saying that it was a stroke of luck that he had survived, and at first he had believed them. His father started to become distant after that, constantly spacing out during work and spending every free minute he had at the bar drowning his sorrows. In society's eyes, he was a man who was unwilling to face up to reality. In the eyes of Nagachi though, his father was nothing but a coward who did not care that his wife had died, instead choosing to stay as far away as possible from the only thing that reminded him of her. His father's behavior heavily affected Nagachi's way of thinking, creating a belief inside the latter that the dead carried no meaning. Nagachi had sworn then that he would live on using any means necessary, and had made true his word, even occasionally at the expense of others.

The only one who had managed to make Nagachi question his own conviction was, of course, Osamu. Through his words and actions, his friend had managed to make Nagachi doubt himself more than once. Perhaps unconsciously, Nagachi regarded Osamu as his last saving grace, which might be the reason that he had stuck around his friend over the years. Curiously enough though, their daily interactions hardly seemed fitting for a pair who had known each other since childhood. There were no daily conversations of happiness between them, scarcely any compliments, and when all is said and done, it was hard for an onlooker to believe that the two were even friends at all. But both Osamu and Nagachi knew that whilst things may get a bit bumpy between them at times, they can fully trust the other party to have their backs in any given situation.

"Getting angry won't help anyone," Osamu sighed. "We'll need to find a way to stop this entire gladiator styled fights for good."

"But we're doing just fine for now," Nagachi still couldn't comprehend why his friend would not be happy with just living each day as it came. "Why go looking for trouble if trouble isn't seeking you out?"

"People are dying in that school," Osamu replied bluntly. "They have every trace of their existence _completely_ wiped out, with not even a death certificate remaining. You expect me to just stand by and watch as the school does that?"

"You aren't a doctor just yet." Nagachi muttered in response, but realized that there was no point in continuing the conversation. He and Osamu would never be able to meet eye-to-eye with the topic of life and death, and will probably never be able to do so as long as they lived.

"How did we get ourselves into this mess again?" Osamu, seeing that his friend was unwilling to continue speaking, quickly went for a change of topic. "It was supposed to be a change for the better, wasn't it?"

Nagachi could only nod somberly in response, his mind immediately remembering how their previous school's director had a fake look on his face as he announced the closure of said school. The director had claimed that the school faced financial problems then, and though many students questioned him about it, his decision was final. The school closed down a week after the announcement, and it was at this time that Nagachi brought Pegutori High to Osamu's attention. At that point of time, what the school offered to provide to its students seemed to be too good to be true, and the only problem was how far the distance from their hometown to the school was. The issue was quickly resolved though, as the two of them realized that it was better to split the expenses between each other. Pitching in their money together, the two of them rented an apartment in Sendai to allow for shorter and easier transportation to and fro their new school.

Everything was going fine for the both of them until the evening of the first day of school, when they both received a call from an unknown number on their phones. It had been a mistake to do so then, as the two of them realized now, but they sealed their fate the moment they excused themselves from each other to answer their phones. There was no one on the other end of the line, or at least they _thought_ it was so. Regardless, when the two of them returned to their room, each had a message on their phones dictating the rules of the tournament. Osamu had started to laugh the whole thing off as a sham until his own Persona started to manifest beside him. Since then, Nagachi had seen nothing but negativity written all over the face of his friend.

"At least you're able to start on your ambition here," Nagachi yawned as he settled himself down onto his bed, tossing his weapon in the direction of his bag. There was a thud as the weapon embedded itself into the surface of the wardrobe. "Ah, the angle was off."

"Careful what you do with that thing around here." Osamu clicked his tongue as he picked himself up and extracted the weapon, looking at it with disgust before dumping it into Nagachi's bag.

"Right, you're a pacifist. I forgot," Nagachi took the chance to tease his friend, who had chosen not to bring any weapons at all into the school. "But you haven't had to face any strong Personae yet, so I suppose it's still alright for now. Take it from me though, one of these days you're going to wish you had something to defend yourself with."

"I'm pretty sure this 'shadow' of mine is more than enough to handle anything I might come across in that school."

"And you reckon that it's good enough to stop those who granted you that power in the first place?"

"Why do you have to be such a pessimist?" Osamu sighed as he threw himself onto his bed and closed his eyes.

Nagachi smirked. "And why do _you_ have to be such an optimist?"

* * *

><p>'<em>We congratulate you on being able enough to survive past the first week. It has been as much of an eye-opener for us as it has been for you, and we hope that you will not disappoint us in the upcoming days. With the weekends approaching, and the school gate destroyed after a particularly hard fought battle, we have decided that it is necessary to announce Friday a school holiday while we repair the damages that had been incurred.<em>

_It has come to our attention that some Persona users have been finding ways to bypass the original set of rules that we have implemented. As such, we are now amending these loopholes in order to prevent battles from going against the way we had originally intended them to be._

_Limited number of participants:_

_It may have been brought to light to those of you who had been watching the battle by the school gates, but for the sake of those who are still uninformed, it is indeed possible to take part in a battle that is already occurring midway. One doing so may choose to take the side of one of the combatants, or none at all if they so wish. To prevent widespread destruction of the school in the form of a mass participation battle though, there are a number of things one has to take note of in a battle with more than two participants._

_Firstly, the maximum number of Persona users allowed in any one confrontation is four. This number is not dynamic, and if the number of participants in a battle had reached four at any one point of time, no one else may partake in that particular battle._

_Secondly, if one intends to join the battle, one has to announce one's intention within the first five minutes of battle. After said five minutes has passed, no one else may join in that battle any longer. This is to prevent Persona users from taking advantage of other users who may have been involved in a long, drawn out engagement, and are worn out from doing so._

_Leaving opponents alive:_

_There has been a startling increase in the amount of users who, after their initial battle experience, have discovered that it is possible to spare one's opponent by calling the battle off after it is obvious that the other party is no longer capable of fighting back. This ends the match in a unanimous tie, and effectively counts as both parties having used up their chance of battle for the day._

_While this form of action is not encouraged at all, we understand that it will take some time for all of you to get used to your new environment. This being the case, we have decided to pardon anyone who does this for the time being, on the condition that a genuine battle has taken place beforehand._

_We are amused to say that we have discovered a group of users who are abusing this loophole. By engaging someone they know in combat first thing in the morning, and then mutually choosing to stop 'fighting' without even having drawn any blood, they effectively rendered themselves immune to battles. Please be informed that this form of action is intolerable in our eyes, and should we find anyone attempting something similar to this starting next week, they will be dealt with severely._

_Miscellaneous:_

_The above rules are subject to change, as we are still in the midst of tweaking them according to the battle environment. When the time comes and we find it necessary, you shall hear from us once again._

_We hope that you will make the best use of all the free time you have been granted in the weekend. It is recommended that you use the spare time to train up, for it can only get harder from this point on. Please be reminded that battles outside of school are still disallowed, and that we will not hesitate to put anyone who breaks the rules down.'_

* * *

><p>"So I get another day off, huh?" It was yet another restless night for Kazou as he looked at the message displayed on his laptop's monitor suspiciously. The amendments to the rules disturbed him a little, and he set his laptop aside as he stared at the neighborhood outside his apartment, the light of dawn only just beginning to penetrate the darkness of the night. Images of the mansion beside the school flashed in his mind, and Kazou frowned as he remembered that the most recent battle had taken place in front of the school gates, where one could easily see everything by simply looking out a window of the mansion.<p>

"**Or maybe one of those councilors just reported your actions to whoever is in charge of them," **Raigura materialized on the sofa as he spoke, his voice piercing the serenity of the morning. **"If you ask me, you're thinking too much into this."**

"Maybe," Kazou shrugged, unconvinced that his Persona was correct, but not wanting to get into an argument early in the day. "What do you think I should do for today? The email recommended that I train up over the weekend."

"**Training is pointless in your current situation," **The swordsman replied confidently, standing up and moving over to the window as he pushed the shutters open. A gentle morning breeze flew into the room, and Kazou allowed himself a brief moment to relax. **"You're better off sleeping the next few days away. By doing so, at least I'll be sure that you won't lose consciousness midway through a battle due to a lack of sleep."**

"Yeah, sleep my whole weekend away. Genius," Kazou rolled his eyes, not sure what to make of Raigura's words. Whether the Persona was showing concern or being sarcastic though, he was right about Kazou needing sleep. Continuing to surf the net for a few more minutes, Kazou felt himself growing wearier with each passing second, the wind blowing in from outside only serving to increase his drowsiness. Finally admitting defeat, Kazou powered off his laptop and settled down in his bed. "Fine, I'll take your damn suggestion. Wake me up later."

* * *

><p>The midday sun was blisteringly hot, and Kazou found himself being forced out of bed by the heat, which was too intense for anyone to sleep through. A cold shower in the bathroom helped a little, but he soon wished that he had the right mind to install air conditioning in his apartment. The very idea of a student like him being able to even afford an air conditioning unit was absurd of course, but Kazou toyed with the notion for a while before heading out of the house.<p>

Kazou didn't have any idea of where he was heading towards when he stepped out of his apartment, but while walking around in the sweltering heat wasn't exactly a good plan, it was definitely a better option than sitting in his apartment doing nothing. He had originally intended to explore the neighborhood more, but the searing rays of the sun was severely discouraging him from doing just that. Instead, Kazou decided to head to the convenience store where he had first encountered Ikuto and purchase something to cool himself off there.

Halfway through his journey though, Kazou felt the hair on his back rising, an uneasy feeling making its way into his mind. He dismissed the feeling at first, but Kazou soon found himself beginning to get more and more uncomfortable as he moved towards his destination. Glancing around behind him, he squinted through the afternoon crowd, trying to make out any suspicious individuals who might be tailing him. It was impossible to find something when one doesn't even know what one is looking for though, and Kazou decided that it was safer to just head straight back home to his apartment than risk an encounter with someone unfriendly.

The crowd gradually thinned out to but a few people here and there as Kazou approached the housing districts, but the feeling of being followed was still gnawing away at him. A quick peek behind him allowed Kazou to confirm his suspicions; he caught sight of someone ducking away underneath the hood of a car. Now positive that he was being followed, Kazou decided that it would be unwise to lead his stalker to his apartment. Instead, he continued walking forward, his mind churning feverishly to figure out how he could shake whoever was shadowing him. The solution presented itself as the train station that he went to every morning appeared in the horizon.

The walk to the train station was nerve racking as Kazou tried to catch the person tailing him in the act several times, turning around abruptly, only to find that he was always one step too slow: the individual would hide him or herself mere moments before he turned. The environment didn't help much either, as there were plenty of trees, cars and the like for his stalker to hide behind. Approaching the train station, Kazou found it almost completely deserted, with the exception of a few homeless people wandering about and sleeping in the benches. It was a good location to weed out the person following him, and Kazou's fingers closed in on the hilt of his katana as he sat down on one of the empty benches.

Pretending to be distracted by a nearby insect which had landed on the bench besides his, Kazou kept his eyes on the alert, allowing them to home in on the slightest movement in the station. The first two times he did so were false alarms; several homeless hobos returned his glare with one of their own. He managed to catch sight of his stalker the third time however, and noted that it was a male, almost an entire one and a half head shorter than him. He couldn't make out any particularly distinguishing features though, for the male quickly ducked away behind a pillar.

The train arrived a minute after Kazou made his observation, and he decided to board it to end the ridiculous game the male was playing with him. The carriage was completely empty, and would serve as a good place for confrontation. It was an ultimatum: if his stalker decided not to follow him aboard, he wouldn't be able to follow Kazou much longer. If the male _did_ follow him onto the train, then Kazou would finally be able to meet whoever was following him. The sound of footsteps running on the platform drew closer to Kazou as he waited patiently on the carriage, and mere moments before the doors closed, a youth hopped on board with him.

"Ah damn. Didn't think you'd pull something like this," The teenager adjusted the black cap on his head as he addressed Kazou in a playful tone, tuffs of his copper hair peeking out from underneath it. "Maybe I didn't get the wrong person after all."

"Who the hell are you?" Kazou wasn't in the mood for games, and he eyed the person before him warily as his hand dropped to the hilt of his katana. The youth was dressed in a fashionable black T-shirt with a cartoonish skeleton face imprinted on it in white, and the orange colored headset dangled around his neck swung a little as he took a seat on the far end of the train. Kazou realized that the person before him couldn't be any older than fifteen, if his childish appearance and behavior was to be believed.

"Oh calm down over there. If I wanted to attack you I would have done that the instant I entered the train," The teenager held up both of his hands in a sign of peace and smiled as he continued, "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't mistaken."

"What, you _know_ me?" Kazou realized how skeptical he sounded, but it wasn't unreasonable of him to be so.

"Hell yeah I do," The youth's brown eyes lit up as he started to get visibly excited. "I was totally watching you and those other two at the gates yesterday. Holy shit, I got to say that was one heck of a battle."

At the mention of the school gates, Kazou found himself tensing up yet again, his hand tightening around the handle of his weapon once more. No one but Persona users should know what had transpired at the school gates, but the adolescent before him was a bit too young to be able to get enrolled in a high school. "And how did you know about that?"

"I'm a student in Pegutori as well. Probably the youngest one there," The youth shrugged his own sentence off, as though what he had just said wasn't a big deal. "My name's Zak. Zak Masters."

"Kazou Okumura. Look, I don't believe this," Kazou frowned as he folded his arms. "Did Pegutori High stoop so low as to shut down middle schools as well, just to get even more people to join them?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Zak replied bluntly as he stretched himself out on the chairs of the train. "Just so you know, I'm in my third year. Show some respect!"

"_What_." Kazou found himself staring at Zak with a dumbfounded expression, hardly being prepared to accept what the latter had just said.

"You know, the students in my class had that exact same expression you do right now when I waltzed into the classroom," Zak chuckled. "So I skipped a few grades. What can I say? I'm a genius."

The last sentence Zak said didn't have his childish tone included in it, and Kazou could see that the former was serious about what he had just said. A beep reverberated in the carriage as the announcement that the train was approaching its next destination sounded, and Kazou was reminded of his purpose in boarding the train in the first place. "So, why were you following me again?"

"Well…after witnessing your battle yesterday, you could say I was…um…_inspired_," Zak shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "So there I was, bored as hell at the plaza, when _bam_, I caught sight of you. I thought that since you were so awesome and all during the battle, you'd have some sort of insane training regime. Being the curious person that I am, I thought it'd benefit me if I found out how you trained, so I started following you around…and, well, you know how the rest goes."

"So in short, I've got myself a stalker." Kazou sighed as the train pulled up into the deserted station that led to his school. He stood up and alighted as soon as the sliding doors opened, deciding that he might as well investigate the mansion around the school since he was already there.

"I wouldn't call myself that. I think the term 'greatest fan' would be more appropriate," Zak grinned as he stepped out into the station, shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun. "Wow, you must be hardcore. Didn't they say that today was a school holiday?"

"I'm here on business," Kazou answered curtly, not wanting to entertain Zak any more than was necessary. Having the latter tag along with him while he was investigating could prove to be disastrous, and Kazou decided to make his stand clear as he turned and looked Zak in his eyes. "Look, you really should head back home. Things might start to get a little dangerous from here on out."

'A little' was a dramatic understatement, and Kazou knew that if the councilors were to catch him snooping around where he wasn't wanted, things would not turn out very well. It was another reason he didn't want Zak around as well: the guilt of getting someone killed because of his actions wasn't something Kazou was eager to bear.

"You don't have to worry about me," Zak puffed out his chest in a show of confidence. "I don't die so easily. I got the luck of a cat!"

"As if cats are supposed to be symbols of luck in the first place," Kazou scoffed in response, articles on the internet about cats being the bearers of ill omens surfacing in his mind. Those thoughts were quickly blotted out as the intimidating outline of Pegutori High and the mansion beside it appeared in the horizon. Much to Kazou's surprise, the gate which had been destroyed in the battle a day ago had been completely repaired, and was now majestically guarding the entrance of the school once more. "This is your last chance. If you want to go home, now's the time."

"Jeez, you're just physically older than me by two, maybe three years. Stop talking like you're so high and mighty," Zak's voice took on a more serious tone, the childish glee that was present earlier when he spoke now completely gone. "You clearly don't have any form of 'business' in the school like you claimed earlier, since the gates are closed and no one is there at all. Can I conclude that your actual target is that rundown mansion beside the school?"

"Humph, smart."

"Please don't mock me. It's merely a simple deduction process. You know, I think _I_ should be the one asking you to pull out. You realize that we'd both be severely implicated if we get caught horsing around near that place, correct?"

"Who's horsing around? I'm just checking out that place to prepare for when I really enter it." Kazou started to stoop down as he approached the house, though it was of a natural reaction than to hide from anyone. Zak mimicked his actions, and as the two of them approached, the vegetation around them seemed to spring to life, uncut weed increasing in quantity the closer they got to the mansion.

The two of them stopped outside the rusted gates, where two proud stone gargoyles once stood guard on either side. The flow of time had caused the material they were made out of to erode horribly however, and they were now nothing more than deformed monstrosities. This didn't decrease the ferocity that they projected of course, and if anything, it only seemed to make them appear even more threatening.

Narrowing his eyes, Kazou looked upwards and took in the sight of the mansion in all its glory. The exterior walls of the house were painted a dark red, and the roofs were a dark shade of gray. The cement binding the roof tiles together was failing in its job, and Kazou could see several places where the tiles had shattered upon impact with the floor. Kazou counted three floors from his perspective, but he suspected that there was probably an attic hidden somewhere near the top of the house as well. Each window of the mansion was gold-rimmed, but what little shine they possessed was overshadowed by the darkness that seemed to be emitting from the inside of the building. Indeed, Kazou realized that though he could see the windows quite clearly, the insides of the mansion were as dark as the night.

Numerous huge oak trees stood alongside the decrepit building, their branches devoid of leaves, adding to the eerie atmosphere that surrounded the house. Their base had been long overrun by weeds and insects, and the trunks that had once stood upright regally were now nothing more than empty husks.

Signaling to Zak to stay where he was, Kazou started to make a quick round around the entire place, hoping that he would be able to find alternate entrances into the house. Although he discovered a gate at the back, it had been already been sealed off by metal chains and a heavy padlock. The two had only been recently installed, for their silver shine was out of place in contrast to the rust building along of the rest of the barricade. It was wholly possible that the place had been sealed off by someone due to safety concerns, but Kazou wasn't about to believe that theory just yet. What bugged him was the fact that the front gate was in a similar state of disrepair as the back gate, and yet there was nothing to prevent them from using that entrance. Attempting to get a good view of the back of the mansion, Kazou peeked in through the gate, but found to his dismay that one of the trees was severely limiting his line of sight.

Returning to where Zak was, Kazou frowned as he looked at the barricade and gauged whether it was plausible to climb over it. The two meter long brick wall that towered over him was daunting enough, but there was also the iron grills on top of those to take into consideration. Each grill ended in the shape of an arrowhead, and their sharp tips, while dulled by time, weren't something Kazou wanted to take his chances with. There was also the possibility of cutting himself should he attempt a jump, and with the large amount of rust and dirt piled up along the barricade, his wound would very likely end up getting infected.

"Seen enough?" Zak was understandably impatient to leave, but Kazou wasn't in any rush to return home to his apartment.

"Not yet." Kazou's gaze shifted to the front gates, the rusty bars that were meant to keep intruders out looking to be a much safer bet than scaling the barricade. He did not see any form of mechanism that was keeping the gate closed, and on a hunch he gave a gentle nudge to the grills. The metal gave off a loud creaking sound as it was pushed, and Kazou backed off immediately, afraid that the sound had given him away. The seconds ticked past as he felt each droplet of sweat slowly moving down his back, half expecting someone to burst out of the front door of the house at any moment. A minute of silence passed, and Kazou allowed himself to take a deep breath as he felt the fear of being found out leave him.

"I don't think anyone's home," Kazou broke the stillness of the atmosphere as he addressed Zak in a low voice, "Or they'd have discovered us by now."

"Yeah, probably," Zak was still visibly uneasy about what had just happened, his eyes darting from the front door to Kazou in paranoia. "I think our luck isn't going to hold out much longer. Can we just head back or something?"

"Just a little longer," Kazou rejected the youth's suggestion, his curiosity about the mansion begging to be quenched. Then, remembering that he had not even invited Zak along with him in the first place, Kazou started to wave the former off. "You can go back first if you want. I'll leave once I get the general mapping of this place down."

"You're serious about wanting to explore this place, huh?" Zak sighed, reaching into his pockets and producing a cell phone. Kazou was slightly taken aback by how expensive the phone looked; it had been advertised in televisions as having the latest in mobile phone technology, and had the price tag to match.

Zak caught Kazou staring intently at the device in his hands and quickly returned it into his trouser pockets, giving him a nervous smile. "Eh, don't worry about that. I would have taken one of the more regular looking phones, but mother insisted on this one. Anyway, you have three minutes starting from now. If I don't see you at the station by then, I'll just assume the worst had happened. Good luck."

The youth started to make his way back to the station, his figure getting smaller as Kazou watched him run. Then, taking out his own phone, Kazou adjusted the settings for the phone to start vibrating in his pocket when time was up. "One forty-three…well, I don't owe him anything, but I guess it's better if I finish up here within three minutes."

With a determined look on his face, Kazou steeled himself as he gave the creaky front gate another soft nudge, providing him with an opening just wide enough to squeeze through. The unkempt foliage around the house was atrocious, and Kazou realized that it would be difficult to make his way through the vegetation without creating a racket. Were he to be found out, it would be next to impossible to hide from a pursuer due to the noise he would make from simply moving.

Shaking that thought off his mind, Kazou made his way around the perimeter of the house, keeping close to the wall as he moved. As he approached the back of the mansion, Kazou noticed a cellar door that he had not seen when he circled the area earlier from outside. Recalling what he had attempted earlier, Kazou stole a quick glance behind him, and found the same tree trunk that had obstructed his vision earlier now blocking his view of the back gate.

The door was padlocked in the same fashion as the back gate, and Kazou found that detail particularly fishy. Fumbling with the chains did him no good though, and after several futile attempts, Kazou decided that he should continue exploring rather than waste his time with the door. Returning to the front of the mansion once more, Kazou looked around for anything else noteworthy, having already marked the cellar as a place of interest in his mind.

There wasn't anything else that caught his interest though, but on a whim, Kazou found himself moving up the three concrete steps that led to the porch and stopping before the front door. He could hear nothing from within no matter how hard he strained his ears, but Kazou knew better than to take his chances by entering the house. Deciding to return when he had another chance, Kazou turned and started to walk towards the gate. He had taken no more five steps away from the porch when he felt the phone vibrating in his pockets, and at the same time a strong gust of wind blew from behind him, causing the rusted entrance to shut itself with a click.

"Huh?" Kazou instantly glanced behind him, but the porch showed no sign of life. Almost instinctively, Kazou bounded to the gate and started to pull, but the rusted metal refused to budge in his hands. The same feeling he experienced this morning with Zak made itself present in Kazou's mind once again, only this time it was amplified countless times over. "Shit."

His heartbeat speeding up significantly, Kazou started to shake the front gates of the mansion with much more strength, hoping that it would somehow open if he used enough force. The gate still refused to open though, and the sound of footsteps approaching hinted to Kazou that he wasn't alone any longer. A hand placed itself on his shoulder, and Kazou's blood ran cold as he stopped struggling with the gates and turned around to address the person behind him.

"Well, well, Kazou," Uriel's grinned as he tightened his grip on Kazou's shoulder, the white feather emblazoned on his collar seemingly shining in the rays of the afternoon sun. "Fancy seeing you here."

* * *

><p>"Three minutes…" Zak let out a sigh as he stared up at the cloudless blue sky, the hum of the vending machine in the train station all that was keeping him company. Every few seconds, he would turn his head in the direction of the school to see if he could catch sight of Kazou in the distance, but he would be disappointed each time. The heat wasn't making his waiting any easier, and after a while, Zak pulled his hand phone out of his pocket, shaking his head in disappointment as he looked at the clock that was displayed on the screen. "Time's up."<p>

Taking one final look into the distance, and seeing no sign of Kazou anywhere, Zak started to scroll through the contacts he had stored inside his phone. Finding the person he wanted to call in no more than a few seconds, he hit the call button with slightly more force than necessary. The ringtone beeped for a moment before the call connected, the person on the other end of the line silent as Zak spoke into the mouthpiece.

"It's me. I followed him around like you asked, but the target decided to go exploring around that mansion beside the school," Zak's voice was solemn as he looked in the direction of Pegutori High. "I don't think he made it out."

* * *

><p>Kazou resisted the urge to bolt out of Uriel's grip, knowing full well that he had nowhere to run now that the front gates of the mansion were shut tight. Instead, he brushed off the councilor's hand as he sauntered over to one of the tree trunks and leaned against it, placing his hands into his pockets to hide the fact that they were trembling.<p>

"Well, you caught me," Kazou tried to make his voice sound as nonchalant as possible, not wanting to show his fear. "What now?"

"Hmm…you didn't try to enter the house, did you? No, of course you didn't," Uriel chuckled as he answered his own question. His laughter was that of someone who knew that they had complete control over the situation before them. "If you did, I wouldn't be treating you this nicely."

"Look, if you want to off me, just get it over and done with already," Kazou's hand went to the handle of his weapon as he spoke. "Though I must warn you, I'm not going down easy."

"Warn me?" The councilor smiled, though Kazou could feel the menace that was leaking out from his facade. "You know, if you attempt to attack me, you're just going to end up causing more trouble for yourself."

The councilor approached Kazou, the grin on his face appearing faker to Kazou by the second. Kazou unsheathed his katana as soon as Uriel was a few paces away, holding his weapon with both hands as he prepared to make a wide swing. The other party seemed to sense that he was serious though, and stopped just short of the weapon's reach.

"You know, drawing a weapon against a figure of authority in the school is a serious offence," Uriel backed off a step, this time a genuine grin showing itself on his face, as though he had realized that he had won. "Although technically I guess we aren't inside the school right now…_but I still owe you one for yesterday's incident._"

Kazou saw Uriel's attack too late as the latter darted forward with a surprising burst of speed, knocking him off his feet and sending the katana flying out of his hands. The strength with which Uriel had charged him with was overwhelming, and Kazou felt his torso burning in pain as he landed on the floor. Uriel wasn't done with his attack however, and landed a heavy drop kick onto Kazou's elbow, causing the latter to let out a howl of misery.

"Uriel, if you're done toying with him, then would you mind bringing him over here?" Another voice that was familiar to Kazou spoke out, and he managed to crane his neck enough to catch sight of Gabriel sitting casually on the porch.

"Fine," Uriel didn't seem too happy to have his revenge interrupted, but he started to drag Kazou towards the porch by the latter's injured arm, causing him to yell in anguish. "Be quiet, or I'll toss you the distance and make sure your face hits the pavement first."

Kazou did his best to suppress his cries of pain, having a gut feeling that Uriel would make good his word, and soon found himself in front of Gabriel, who was regarding him with a conceited look in her eyes. Rather than addressing him though, Gabriel turned her attention to Uriel as she spoke, "You know, you're supposed to make sure that no one gets through the gate in the first place. Inviting them in is the last thing someone like you should do."

"You _saw_ me?"

"Shirking your duties, yes," Gabriel stated bluntly. "Has too much time with the mortals affected your way of thinking?"

Uriel did not reply, and Kazou found himself sniggering at the councilor despite the pain. He did not get the exact situation, but it appeared that Uriel was in as much trouble as him. Gabriel's eyes homed in on Kazou as soon as he started laughing though, and the aggressiveness they displayed made him fall quiet immediately.

"And as for you, Kazou, you'd do well to stay away from here. Normally we'd let anyone who was exploring over here off with a warning at the front gates, but since _Uriel was lax in his duties_" – Gabriel glared at Uriel as she said this – "you successfully managed to get past the front gates. Unfortunately, I can't overlook the fact that you still drew your weapon against him first, and as such we'd have to administer the proper form of punishment."

"So I'm still screwed either way?" Kazou laughed bitterly.

"Consider yourself lucky that you had not attempted to open the door of this mansion. Otherwise, you might have incurred the maximum penalty. Although, that's why Uriel is supposed to be guarding the gates in the first place," Gabriel stood up and made her way to the front door of the house before turning to address the two still on the porch, "Since it's clear you aren't making the best use of the free time we provided you with, then I suppose we'll just have to remove it and the remaining time you have for this week. Consider this a warning. If we _ever_ catch you attempting something like this _again_…"

Leaving the sentence hanging, Gabriel sniffed coldly as she opened the front door just a crack, a rush of wind from within rushing out of the tiny gap and blowing past Kazou's body. Just for an instant, the pain on his body seemed to vanish, but as soon as the councilor closed the door behind her, the burning feeling on Kazou's body returned once more.

"Well, what now?" Kazou stared up at Uriel from the floor, the latter still seeming to be in deep thought about how Gabriel had rebuked him.

"Eh, you heard her," Uriel snapped out of his reverie as soon as Kazou addressed him, the malicious grin appearing on his face once more. "You know how my flames work, correct?"

Kazou nodded in response, the very action of doing so causing him to cringe in pain. His torso was still hurting from the councilor's simple action of tackling him, and although he couldn't see any external damage, he suspected that Uriel had somehow utilized his powers over fire to injure him internally.

"Well then," A burst of flames erupted upwards from Uriel's palm as he squatted down beside Kazou, the color of the fire changing from a dark red to a sinister black. "What if I told you I can burn _more_ than just memories?"

* * *

><p>"He's not in <em>again<em>?" Reikio sighed as his eyes alternated between looking at the address labeled on the door and the one he had scribbled on a piece of paper. He had no doubt that the address was correct, but the owner had not been in either when he visited the day before. Trying the doorbell a few more times, Reikio shuffled the deck of cards in his hand as he stood outside Kazou's apartment.

"No response on Friday, and now nothing on Sunday either. _Damn_ _it_, I need some form of entertainment. Where's everybody when you need them?" Reikio complained aloud, his shuffling increasing in speed as he spoke. He would have gone ahead and summoned Loki to accompany him to the casino in town, but the trickster was tired out from the training they had done yesterday, and Reikio didn't want to risk taxing the Persona further.

The weekend was something Reikio was _not_ looking forward to. He had seen no point in attempting to befriend non-users in the school, since it was highly possible that they may be wiped out at any time during the weekdays, but spending the weekend at home alone was a terribly boring chore. Gabriel couldn't be contacted in any normal situation, and Kazou was the only other person Reikio was somewhat familiar with besides Ikuto. The latter was obviously not someone he wanted to meet and chill out with during the weekend, but the former wasn't answering his door either.

"Maybe he's doing some form of intense training with his Persona right now, and doesn't want to be disturbed?" Reikio considered the possibility as he rearranged the cards he was shuffling, tossing each card into the air with one hand and using the other one to catch them. "Well, I guess there's no reason for me to stand out here like an idiot either way. Maybe I'll just head alone to the casino and pick up some new card tricks myself."

Reikio sauntered away from the apartment, but stopped as soon as he noticed a pair of alert eyes staring at him from the staircase. They belonged to a teenager that did not seem to be older than middle school, and Reikio decided to tease him as he stepped towards the stairs. "You didn't overhear me talking to myself, did you?"

"You know Kazou?"

That single line was enough to throw Reikio off, and he had to stop himself from slipping down the stairs by gripping onto the railings tightly. Then, turning around with his eyes narrowed, Reikio repeated the same thing the youngster had said, though with a much more skeptical tone.

"_You_ know Kazou?"

"Of course I do! I'm like, his greatest fan," A glint appeared in the youth's eyes as he played with the wires of his orange headset that was hanging loosely on his neck. "You can call me Zak."

* * *

><p>"Damn," Kazou swore as his eyes flicked open, his surroundings hazy and dark. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the surroundings, but the familiar silhouette of the sofa in his living room was unmistakable. From the angle he was looking at the sofa, Kazou concluded that he was lying on his bed, and started to push himself off from the soft cushion. His bones and muscles objected to his movement heavily, and the simple act of trying to shift his body upright only caused Kazou to land face down on the bed instead. His dried lips tore as his face hit the bed, and Kazou cringed as a single line of blood started to flow out of him. "Shit, I'm parched."<p>

Exerting all the force he could muster, Kazou manage to stagger out of bed, his arms and legs feeling like they could fail him at any moment. Limping forward, he poured himself a glass of water with trembling hands, and felt immediate relief as the fluid entered his system. Gulping down a few more cups, Kazou then shuffled back to his bed, holding his hand to his head as a dizzy spell overcame him.

"**Why hello," **Raigura's voice seemed to echo around inside Kazou's head, and the volume at which the Persona spoke made him flinch. **"Did you have a nice rest? You have school in an hour's time, you know."**

"S-school?" Kazou stuttered as he stared dumbly at the Persona. A torrent of memories started to assault him as he gazed at the swordsman, and Kazou groaned as he involuntarily recalled what had happened at the front gates of the mansion, up to the part when Uriel held a dark colored flame before his eyes. His hand fell into his pocket and pulled the hand phone out, his lack of strength causing his grip to loosen halfway. The device fell onto the bed, the display lighting up for a moment before dimming due to the dying battery, but the momentary glimpse was enough for Kazou to take in the date shown. "Shit, Uriel wasn't lying."

"**Ah, so you remembered," **Raigura appeared before Kazou, gripping in his hand the katana necessary to summon him and placing it onto the floor before his user. **"You see, you should have taken my suggestion and just slept the whole weekend away. Well, no matter, you did technically sleep the whole weekend away after what Uriel did to you."**

"I feel horrible," Kazou brought the blade closer towards him. He could feel the tug of gravity with each action he took, and even the simple act of lifting a hand caused his muscles to ache.

"**That's what happens when you go for two and a half days without food or water, I suppose," **Raigura smirked. **"No rest for the wicked though. Get up and eat or you'll end up being a free kill for everyone today."**

Knowing that his Persona was right, Kazou pushed himself off the bed with another herculean effort, moving towards the kitchen in slow, tired steps. The outside of the house was quiet, but Kazou knew it was only a matter of time until the sun rose and dictated the start of a new day. Another flashback happened in his mind, and Uriel's last words before Kazou lost consciousness that day came floating back to him.

"_Have you ever heard of the expression 'let's burn some time'? Watch carefully now, I'll show you how it's done."_

* * *

><p>The school bell sounded distant to Kazou as it rung, but as it increased in volume, he started to stir, the relentless ringing dragging him away from the drowsiness that had overcome him. Waking up with a jolt, Kazou took a moment to get his bearings, rubbing his eyes as he realized that class was over for the day. Several of his classmates gave him a funny look as they passed his chair, making snide remarks about how he had slept the whole day away, but Kazou simply gave them a bored look in return.<p>

Kazou was still incredulous about what Uriel had done to him back at the mansion, but it was impossible to deny the truth: the councilor had somehow made him skip the entire weekend. He was now feeling much better than he did in the morning, having replenished his bodily fluids and eating at least three times his usual amount of cup noodles, but he still wasn't back in peak physical condition just yet. His muscles still ached in objection whenever he used them, and he couldn't help thinking that if he were to get involved in a battle, he wouldn't be able to last very long.

Meeting Uriel at the front gates of the school had been an awkward moment for him, but the councilor did not seem to remember what he had done to Kazou at all, instead simply acknowledging him as he passed by with a nod. Gabriel had reacted the same way when Kazou bumped into her in the stairs as he was heading towards class, and their apathetic reaction towards him ruffled his feathers. Kazou didn't want to risk getting on their bad side by reminding them of what he did though, and had walked to his classroom as briskly as he could, falling asleep on his desk no sooner than five minutes into the lectures.

The catnap had done him some amount of good, and Kazou felt slightly more energetic than he did when he arrived in the classroom. The teachers had not disturbed him in his sleep, each of them knowing about his position in the school as a Persona user, and Kazou silently thanked them in his heart as he stood up to leave the classroom. Now slightly less feeble, Kazou yawned as he made his way to the door, preparing to leave the school as quickly as possible.

"Hold up there, Kazou," The male teacher sitting at the desk addressed him before he could slide the classroom door open, and Kazou turned around, trying his best not to scowl. "I need to discuss something with you."

"Sup?" Kazou addressed the teacher casually, partially because he could not even remember what the name of the teacher was, nor what subject he taught. The lecturer scratched the back of his balding head as he stood up and withdrew a file from one of the classroom's cabinets, his short stumpy stature a comical sight as he returned to his seat and began to read the file.

"It says here that you currently aren't participating in any co-curricular activity in the school. According to the school rules, it's compulsory that you attend at least one for your whole year here," Kazou had tensed up when the teacher mentioned 'school rules', but composed himself as soon as he realized that the latter was talking about the normal rules that every school had. "If you had been listening to me in the lecture earlier, you'd have known that the school would be holding a co-curricular activity fair today at the indoor sports hall. So before you leave for today, please make sure you have picked one to participate in. That's all."

"Got it," Kazou whirled around and moved swiftly out of the classroom, cursing his luck as he made his way along the corridor. It was a bad day to be forced to remain in the school, especially considering the current condition of his body. There would also be a large amount of students gathered in the fair, and that would skyrocket the chances of him getting into a battle, which was the last thing he wanted.

"Look who finally decided to show up," Reikio announced his presence in a chirpy tone as he appeared beside Kazou. "So where've you been, K-boy? I went to your house _twice_ the past few days, and you aren't in both times. Have you been involved in some three day mediation training or something?"

"I wish," Kazou's reply was lifeless. "The weekend literally escaped me."

"Hmm? Is something wrong?"

"Eh, I'm just not feeling too good today," Kazou looked around him, noticing the vast increase in the amount of students as they approached the hall. All the activity and noise put a strain on his mind though, and Kazou found himself wanting to get out of the school even more. "Let's just say I'm not exactly in the shape to get into combat right now."

Kazou realized his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth: he had just admitted to a potential challenger that he would not put up much of a fight were he to be attacked. Though Reikio had made his stand as an ally clear to him, Kazou didn't know exactly how much he could trust the former when it truly counted, and Reikio realized this as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. After a moment though, he grinned playfully and winked at Kazou. "Truth be told, I haven't used up my battle chance for today yet…though I wouldn't think of fighting an opponent who can't defend himself. Probably."

"What, does it feel better to take down someone at optimal condition using all your tricks?"

"It's definitely more gratifying," Reikio nodded pensively, then let out an exclamation of surprise as the two of them stepped into the hall. "Whoa. That's a _lot_ of students."

The sports hall was gigantic and much larger than the ones Kazou had seen before in any of his previous schools. The sheer magnitude of it was enough to cause Kazou to gasp in amazement as he observed the area intended to serve as a place for playing sports and, he suspected, for battles between Personae as well. It wouldn't have been a far stretch to compare the place with a football field, and as Kazou's eyes wandered over the many students preoccupied with the event, he realized just how tiny an individual he was.

The wooden flooring of the area was reinforced with what Kazou assumed was steel, although it was very cleverly camouflaged, having been painted the exact same color as its surroundings and only visible if one checked the gaps in between the wood. The metallic material extended all the way up to the ceiling, entwined around the colossal pillars scattered uniformly around the hall. The lights dangling downwards from the beams near the ceiling were considerably shorter than what would be considered normal, and the powerful glares they emitted lit up the entirety of the hall. Kazou hazarded a guess that it was meant to provide as much space as possible within the hall in the event of a battle.

Colorful posters adorned the walls, and the dazzling pictures functioned to excite the students flooding in from the multiple entrances, most of whom were deeply engaged in animated conversation over which activity to join. Kazou let his view drop from the ceiling to the stage erected near one end of the hall, where a group of students were clapping away as they gathered around a male student who was performing card tricks that amazed them.

"Hey look, a magician," Reikio let out a gleeful laugh as he took out his own pack of cards, placing the two joker cards on the front and back of the deck and watching the insignia transform into one that resembled Loki. "Let's go screw him up."

"I refuse." Kazou flatly declined the other student's offer as he started to make his way into the bustling crowd, trying his best to remain inconspicuous in order to avoid attracting attention from any Persona users. Reikio shrugged in response as he parted from Kazou, heading straight towards the stage with the cards in his hands at the ready.

Kazou wandered around the hall without much purpose, the numerous sports activities not piquing his interest in any way whatsoever. He knew he could easily become the most valued player on a basketball team, but Kazou wanted to pick something less physically less demanding, knowing that he would have his hands full with Persona battles. Being predictable was also a bad thing: he would be forced to stay in the hall afterschool every other day if he picked a sports activity, and anyone who wanted to challenge him would know instantly where to find him.

There was also the problem of involving innocent students who would get caught between him and his opponent should someone decide to battle him after school hours. The number of student casualties would definitely increase as people would be around him when a battle started, since co-curricular activities often involved a lot of people. Kazou strained his eyes as he made his way towards a corner of the school hall, looking for an activity that would be flexible enough to allow him to slip away whenever necessary. Leaning against the wall to think, the answer hit Kazou almost instantly as his eyes went to the katana dangling at his hips.

"Well, I _did_ use it as an excuse before…" Mumbling to himself, Kazou shuffled his way past another horde of students in front of him. Struggling with the absolutely vast amount of students around him, Kazou inched his way forward, but stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of someone a few meters away from him. "Zak?"

"Huh?" The teenager was in the middle of tweaking with his headset, and froze as he heard his name being called. For a moment, Kazou caught an odd look in Zak's eyes as the latter turned towards him, but the look vanished as the youngster recognized who had addressed him. "Oh. You're alive."

"I don't die that easily," Kazou managed to crack a joke as he stepped towards Zak, but quickly turned serious as he remembered how the latter had given him a time limit to explore the mansion on Friday. The little detail of Uriel discovering him at the same instant his phone had vibrated to signify that three minutes had passed had been too much of a coincidence, and Kazou wanted to get to the end of that matter. "You know, the other day when you told me I had three minutes…did you know something was going to happen?"

"Huh? Why would I?" Zak placed his hands behind his neck as he looked away, and Kazou felt sure that he was hiding something. "So, have you decided which activity you want to join yet?"

"I was thinking of something along the lines of a drama club," Kazou's voice dropped as he looked at the youth before him. Zak was a Persona user as well, and Kazou wasn't as familiar with him as he was with Reikio. Moreover, his actions thus far had been pretty suspicious, from tailing Kazou through town to knowing exactly when he should get out of the mansion. Chiding himself inwardly for having approached the student so quickly, Kazou started to excuse himself. "I think I see something interesting over there. See you around."

"Hey, wait," Zak ducked forward and blocked Kazou's path, and the latter felt his irritation surfacing on his face for a moment. "You said drama club, right? That's a great option, what with your sword and all. I'll show you the way."

Kazou started to object, but Zak had already started to move, and he had no choice but to follow the teen through the waves of students that were hindering his movement. Every now and then Zak would pause to allow Kazou to catch up, and the two edged their way forward at a snail's pace, eventually conquering the crowd and ending up on an area near the front of the stage.

Kazou caught sight of a devilish looking Reikio relishing in his opportunity to embarrass the magician on the stage, his card tricks completely captivating the audience. Kazou knew what Reikio was doing of course: each of the latter's tricks involved the joker card in one form or another, and it was clear that Loki was lending him a helping hand. Shaking his head in disapproval, Kazou turned towards the teacher who had approached him, a thin looking man with burly hair and a sharp chin. Zak had explained what to the teacher that Kazou wanted to join the club in the time the latter had spent watching Reikio, and the man who looked to be in his thirties raised an eyebrow as he spoke to the student before him.

"Kazou Okumura..." The teacher lowered his voice as he bent forward. "You're a user, aren't you?"

The straightforward question shot into Kazou's face made him look away uncomfortably, but he managed to nod in response. The teacher looked sharply at him for another moment, but quickly stood back upright and pointed to a corner in the hall, where several bored looking students were gathered together in a circle, Zak being one of them. "You don't have to interact with the normal students if you don't wish to; the school rules only require that you participate in a co-curricular activity in name. Besides, it'll spell trouble if someone decides to challenge you in the middle of a play. Just go sit down with those over there and wait until I take all your attendances."

Kazou nodded in relief, glad that the teacher had allowed him to minimize his social interactions. Sitting beside Zak and crossing his legs, Kazou stole quick glances at the other students in the circle. He counted a total of five people including him and Zak, but noted that the gender balance within the group was terribly off. The only girl in the group was hugging her knees as her pink eyes stared at the floor, not even seeming to register the presence of the rest of the students around her. Her lustrous white hair that had a tinge of yellow was gently swaying in the draft from the open door behind her, and her skin was as colorless as snow. The girl caught sight of Kazou staring at her after a moment, and almost immediately her facial features turned into that of a scowl, the sudden shift in mood making Kazou turn his attention away from her.

The other two in the circle clearly knew each other, exchanging words every other minute. The taller of the two gave off an unfriendly aura as he leaned against the wall with his arms folded, the cold look in his eyes causing Kazou to shiver a little despite the warm environment. The other student seemed to be much more approachable, though the sunglasses he was donning made Kazou mark him as an oddball, as there was no glare of the sun from where he was sitting. The student slowly turned the pages of the book he was reading, but seemed to have become bored of its content after a while, putting it away into his bag as he stood up. Clapping his hands, the student created just enough sound to get the attention of those in the circle.

"Okay...how do I put this," The student scratched the back of his neck, clearly nervous as he stepped into the center of the circle. "Rather than sitting in silence like this, shouldn't we try to at least get to know each other? I mean, we'll be seeing each other quite a bit after today."

"That's a great idea! I'll start." Zak started to pick himself up, but Kazou raised a hand to stop him from doing so.

"Hold it," Kazou looked at the student in the center apprehensively as he lowered his arm, aware that the swift movement he had executed to prevent Zak from standing was causing his hand to shake a little. "How do I know this isn't some sort of ploy?"

"I can't blame you for being that wary," The student shrugged as he took off his sunglasses, his gray eyes staring into Kazou's own. "Then let me take the initiative. My name's Osamu. Osamu Kuroki. And that guy acting all cool over there is Nagachi Kotogawa."

Nagachi perked up as he heard his name, the look on his face showing that he strongly disapproved of the information his friend had just divulged. Knowing that he could do nothing about it though, his attention was quickly redirected to Kazou and Zak, the former still refusing to speak.

"And how would I know that's not a fake name?"

"Are you _dense_?" Nagachi's sharp tone shot daggers at Kazou as he glared at the latter, but Osamu just let out a short laugh.

"Super cautious type, aren't you?" Osamu walked towards Kazou, proffering his hand at the same time. "Look, I'm not normally so open towards strangers either. Thing is, I just want to know if any of you is agrees with what the school enforced on us."

"Of course we're not! Who would be?" Zak had spoken before Kazou could, and the teenager had an excited look in his eyes as he stood up. "I think you're being too careful over here, Kazou. Anyways, you guys can call me Zak."

Kazou snorted indignantly as Zak revealed his name in the same way Osamu had revealed Nagachi's, but accepted the handshake either way. It wasn't a bad thing to find others who could potentially help him end what the school was doing, and Osamu's words had made Kazou realize that he might just find trusty allies in the few before him as well. Still, Kazou regarded Zak with a hint of suspicion; it was the teenager who had caused him to become this cautious in the first place after all.

"And how about you?" Osamu turned to the lone female in the group, who appeared to have been staring at them for quite some time. She had an unsure expression on her face, but after a moment Kazou heard her speak, her voice soft and melodious.

"Yuri."

"I see. Well, now that we're done with our introductions," Osamu glanced around the packed hall, his eyes darting left and right as if searching for something. Not finding what he was looking for though, the student shrugged and wiped his forehead with his arms. "Damn, it's hot around here. Want to go somewhere quieter?"

"We aren't allowed to leave until we get our attendance taken though," Zak reminded him, "And the teacher won't do so until the whole event is over."

"Oh come on," Kazou groaned. "Just my luck."

A deafening thud sounded as Kazou finished his sentence, and at the same time the entire floor of the school hall started to shudder violently. Everyone in the hall turned towards the direction of the sound at once, and a piercing shriek rung through the air as an enormous green reptilian head reared itself upwards, towering over the paralyzed students who were still in a state of shock. Not a soul in the hall moved, and as all the students watched, more and more heads joined the original, each possessing a pair of baleful yellow eyes and large, menacing fangs whose size made them resemble scythes.

Someone in the audience managed to wring a scream out of their throat, and the spell binding the students to the spot was broken as both students and teachers made a beeline for the exit. The beast looming over them was motionless as it observed the humans scrambling like insects, though every so often its forked tongue flicked out of its mouth, tasting the air before it. Each of its eight heads was pointed in a different direction, and the keen eyes on each of them studied the movement of the students near the exits closely, as though it was biding its time.

Kazou found himself struggling against the flow as the non-users inside the hall started to make a mad dash for the exits in fear and horror. The mere presence of the creature had managed to instill blind fear into the majority, and as the crowd pushed towards the exits, Kazou decided to inch his way slowly towards the stage. He caught sight of Zak and the other students he had just met as he moved; they were heading in the same direction, and clearly had the same destination as him. Conquering the strength of the masses was no easy task, but it gradually became easier as the crowd slowly thinned out. Arriving at stage, Kazou found Reikio already waiting for him, the latter offering his hand to help him up.

"Ooh, that's a big one, huh?" Reikio grinned as he pulled Kazou onto the stage. "Doesn't look like it's about to go all Godzilla on us though. Seems like it's waiting for something."

"Indeed, it is," Gabriel seemed to have popped out of thin air as she appeared beside Reikio, and Kazou gave a little start at her sudden arrival. "I'd have condemned the user to death if he had attempted to go on a rampage with majority of the school still in the hall."

"You gather up all the Persona users in one place, and you're bound to have a battle on your hands," Kazou gave the councilor an icy glare. "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

Gabriel made no effort to answer, but a shadow of a smile appeared on her face as she moved to the back of the stage, taking a seat on the floor and scribbling on the notebook in her hand. Kazou shot her a disgusted look, but his attention was quickly drawn to the front of the stage. Zak and Nagachi were helping Osamu up, while Yuri was already seated on the stage, tilting her head sideways as she looked at the Persona glaring at her from the distance. Reikio gave a snort as he recognized Zak.

"Hey look, it's your greatest fan." The blonde haired student nudged Kazou in the ribs, and latter cringed in response.

"You know him?" Kazou unknowing repeated the question that Zak and Reikio had asked each other when they first met.

"Duh. He was at your house the other day when I visited. And because _you_ were out, the kid decided to follow me along to the casino. Of course, I managed to get in without getting caught, but I can't say the same for him." Reikio shrugged.

"Oh, everyone's here," Osamu let out a nervous laugh as he looked around the stage. Reikio gave him a puzzled look, but Osamu knew that now wasn't the best time for introductions. "Anyway, that thing seems to be on the lookout for something."

There was a high pitched squeal as a burst of flames appeared before the colossal eight headed snake, but the fire stopped just short of touching the beast. The embers slowly fell away, revealing a regal birdlike beast, each feather of its plumage a wondrous golden color that shone in the light. Its eyes were ablaze with the brilliance of a sun, and multiple orange feathers trailed behind it as it moved, leaving behind a tiny flame in their wake.

Even its beak was a dark shade of red, and the bird cooed as it took flight. Each feather of its wings were set alight once more as it flapped them, and the falling flames resembled autumn leaves as they slowly drifted to the floor. The beauty of the bird distracted the crowd for a moment, but as it issued a high pitched scream at them, the students and teachers redoubled their efforts to leave. Soon the entire hall was vacant, save for the group gathered on the stage, and the select few Persona wielders scattered about the hall.

"A phoenix?" Zak's tone was one of astonishment as he observed the majestic bird hovering alongside the eight headed beast.

"It seems to helping that giant snake thingy though," Reikio pursed his lips. Two opponents at once was one too many. "And they still haven't made their move."

Almost as if on cue, a pair of students appeared from behind the oversized snake, walking forward in a confident strut. One of them was a well built male with tanned skin and burly hair, and his lips parted to reveal his buckteeth as he beamed with pride at his Persona, patting the huge snake encouragingly with his hand. The other was a female with a lithe body figure and short brown hair, her amber colored eyes somewhat resembling that of her Persona as the phoenix perched on her outstretched hand.

The two of them preoccupied themselves with their Personae for a moment, but then quickly turned their attention towards the remaining Persona users who had decided to stand their ground. One of the heads of the snake lowered itself to ground level, and the male hopped atop it as he cleared his throat and prepared to speak.

"We got no business with any one of you here," The male's voice was gruff and fitted his body stature well. "Except for someone called Kazou Okumura. Hand him over before Orochi over here starts to get nasty."

"Eh?" Reikio turned towards Kazou as the male riding the creature he had called Orochi patted its head, causing the ground to quake as the giant beast started to move forward. "Kazou, I think they're looking for you."

"Great," Kazou rolled his eyes. "Just _great_."

His hands moving to grab the hilt of his weapon, Kazou observed his opponents carefully as they approached from the other end of the hall. They had not issued a challenge to him yet, since they were quite clearly still attempting to find him. His vision started to swim for a moment as his hands tightened on the handle of the katana, and Raigura's arrogant voice echoed around inside his head.

"**Don't even **_**think**_** about pulling that blade out. You don't have the required stamina right now, and summoning me like in your current state might cause a relapse of your condition this morning."**

Kazou clicked his tongue in exasperation as he shifted his gaze to the other students around the hall; each of the users were slowly making way for the Orochi as it lumbered forward, not wanting to get involved in a battle if they could avoid it. The eight headed beast soon reached the center of the hall, leaving behind it a trail of crushed wood that had failed to support the creature's weight.

"I think I'm bailing out," Kazou slowly moved backwards. "Today's a bad day for me."

"Eh? Can't you just use that Persona of yours to slice those two up with his swords?" Zak seemed disappointed with what his idol's reaction was to the danger.

"Humph. Coward." Nagachi let out a snort of contempt as he looked at Kazou patronizingly.

"Give him a break. I don't think he's up for it today," Osamu defended Kazou as he passed the latter an understanding look. He had noticed the student's hand trembling earlier when he prevented Zak from standing, and the pallid color of Kazou's face combined with his slow reactions was a telltale sight of fatigue as well. A thoughtful expression came over his face, and after a moment Osamu put on his sunglasses as he snapped his fingers and caught Kazou's attention. "Look, you wanted proof that I wasn't an enemy, didn't you? Then I'll take those two on. Don't get me wrong; I absolutely loathe killing, but for them to have barged in like this and specifically ask for you, it's clear they want your life. And I can never forgive myself if I let those two take it in front of my eyes."

"Nice speech. But you and I both know you can never put someone down," Nagachi was already ahead of Osamu, his hands reaching into the pocket of his pants as he pulled out his trusty dagger. "Stay behind me. I'll take _both_ of them on at once."

* * *

><p>Further up on the hall, behind the tinted glass of the PA room, a lone female observed the two creatures with a pair of curious red eyes. She wasn't any older than most of the students in the school, but her eyes held a terrifying presence that threatened to overwhelm one who dared to return her gaze. The girl's slender hands brushed aside the bangs of auburn hair on her forehead and adjusted her hairpins as she focused her attention on the two beasts inside the hall. They posed no threat to her, and the monsters knew that as well, with the heads of the Orochi even avoiding eye contact as much as possible. Even the immortal phoenix, perched on its owner's hands, fidgeted in discomfort as it felt the heavy gaze of the girl upon it. They knew the truth after all; both Personas and their users were nothing more than pawns to be used in her game.<p>

Resisting the urge to burst out in a maniacal laughter and contending herself with a soft giggle, the girl steepled her fingers as she leaned closer to the glass. It didn't matter which way the battle would go; she would ultimately benefit from it. Tightening the red headphones on her head so that they didn't slip off, the girl turned her attention towards the students atop the stage on the far end of the hall. The one she wanted was there, but there was another person that had caught her interest as well.

"Yuri…" The girl unconsciously whispered the word as she brought her hand to the glass. The owner of the name sat upright all of a sudden, her pink eyes narrowing as she looked into the PA room, as though she had somehow sensed that someone she knew was there. For a moment, the tinted glass and distance between the two seemed to become nonexistent. But the feeling dissipated as quickly as it arrived, and the girl moved herself away from the glass and towards the door. She had caught the glimpse of recognition had appeared in Yuri's eyes, and that was enough. As her hand twisted the doorknob, the girl erupted into a full-blown, unrestrained laughter. "Maybe my days wouldn't be so boring after all."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's notes: There we go. I already have the battle planned out for chapter 4, but unfortunately that's going to take a while to deliver. (I have work for the next 2 months.) Well, maybe I'll see you all in the month of September? Haha.<strong>

**I hope you didn't suffer from having to know that many characters at once. As I said earlier, each of them is integral to the plot, so try to understand that. With that said, I'll try to formulate in as much plot twists to make the read as refreshing as possible.  
><strong>

**Oh, and on the subject of characters, special thanks to B ttousai and Mad Hatter (AKA Hattwin) over at the Minegarde forums for helping me with the OCs. Nagachi Kotogawa belongs to the former, while Osamu Kuroki, Zak Masters and Yuri Sato (I never did mention her full name, did I?) all belong to the latter. I had to edit in some background story and stuffs, but anyways, thanks for the OCs you two! And on that note, see you guys around~**

**Trace: While all I do is read and edit mistakes, I kinda feel like throwing in my OC too. Perhaps it will happen? Who knows~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: Oooh, **_**finally**_** another battle to make me hit my high. Trace was right about not putting the battle in chapter three. It would have easily topped forty-five pages. Anyway, I typed majority of this out in the spare hour or so I had after work, but at a much slower pace due to how mentally drained I am. Still, it came out much earlier than I had expected. (It was originally supposed to be September, according to the last chapter anyway.) I'm still waiting for the moment when inspiration hits me like a truck and I type out thirty pages in two days, like what happened in chapter one.**

**Anyway, battles are the parts which I have the most fun writing in any story, mostly because of how I can totally play god and mess around with stuff. I know ninety percent of what I write in battles is completely made up, but it's often quite plausible if one stops to think about it. After all, restricting oneself to game mechanics with in-game attacks and all is boring as hell. Though, it **_**is**_** still based off a game, so I might decide to implement elemental weaknesses…maybe.**

**Also, I am **_**so**_** breaking canon here. You have been warned. In any case, enjoy the read~**

* * *

><p>The inside of the gigantic hall was silent as Nagachi moved towards the two students whose Personae had sent the non-users in the school scurrying for their lives. His stride was confident, and did not falter, even when the multiple heads of the Orochi hissed dangerously at his approach. In his hand he spun the dagger he had decided to use for the battle, the weapon a tiny toothpick compared to the size of the creature he was intending to face. The male student atop the Orochi's head seemed to notice that Nagachi's intention was hostile, but he merely guffawed as the student drew close. The female student's reaction was the polar opposite of her companion's; she narrowed her eyes dangerously as the Phoenix perched on her hand started to spread its fiery wings.<p>

Watching the last of the users between him and the two students make a wise decision to step out of the battlefield, Nagachi stopped the spinning of the dagger as he caught hold of the handle perfectly. The air around the palm of his other hand started to condense into the shape of a card that shone a brilliant white. A budge formed on the card for a moment, before a reptilian head burst through it, shattering the card and causing the white fragments to drift towards the floor. A long and supple body followed the head, and the skin of the serpent was a vibrant gleam of red as it clambered up Nagachi's arm.

Resting its head on Nagachi's left shoulder, the serpent slowly unfurled the pairs of leathery wings on its back, each one reminiscent of a pterodactyl in structure. The creature possessed more eyes than was considered normal; the two at either sides of its head and the one on its forehead worked simultaneously to provide it a large field of vision. Each eye sparkled with a dangerous cunning as it observed its much larger and multi-headed counterpart before it.

"Humph. So I'm going to be fighting an oversized freak of nature and a flaming chicken. I wonder which one will go down faster," Nagachi unfastened the white cloth around the handle of the dagger and tightened it around his hand as he looked at the serpent beside him. "What do you think, Samael?"

The female student glowered at Nagachi. "Get out of our way. You're not the one we're looking for. Or do you happen to be an acquaintance of Kazou?"

"Perhaps," Nagachi shrugged as he used the hand that had been wrapped in the white cloth to hold his dagger before his Persona, the serpent's forked tongue licking the edge of the weapon as it flicked in and out. "But just tell me this. How should I address the two fools before me who have not heard of the name Nagachi Kotogawa?"

"Is that a challenge?" the heads of the Orochi let out a soft hiss as their user shouted, the amusement in his voice obvious. "You think you can take on Katsumi and me in a battle, two versus one, with that tiny snake of yours?"

"_Shut up_, Shuko. Our objective is Kazou and Kazou alone," the owner of the Phoenix persona sighed as she addressed the student seated atop the Orochi. Her amber eyes then turned their attention towards Nagachi as she addressed him once more. "You said your name was Nagachi, didn't you? Unless you want to end up dead, I highly recommend you to move."

"Move, you said?" A smile slowly crept over Nagachi's face as he pushed his glasses upwards using his free hand, the lenses momentarily concealing his eyes as they reflected the lighting inside the hall. Tilting his head slightly after that action, Katsumi gasped in surprise as she registered the sight of Nagachi's left eye; the originally circular pupil had elongated itself vertically, and now appeared more snakelike than human. It was at this precise moment of his opponent backing off in shock that Nagachi decided to strike. "Good idea."

Springing forward and gripping the handle of his weapon tightly, Nagachi made a quick swipe at Katsumi's torso, stopping his attack just short of inflicting a wound and freezing in position as he smiled smugly. Both the Phoenix and its user were stunned by what had just taken place, but quickly recollected themselves and leapt backwards. The instant Katsumi jumped back however, Nagachi made his move again, this time bending his body and aiming for his opponent's legs with an even higher speed than before. The Phoenix registered the danger and moved preemptively to defend Katsumi, charging forward with a fiery aura around it to intercept its attacker.

Nagachi welcomed the flaming attack with another arrogant grin as Samael pressed its body against its user, pushing the latter downwards. His Persona's action caused Nagachi to duck sharply as the flames of the Phoenix brushed past where his face previously was a second ago, but the act was done so quickly that one looking from a distance would have assumed Nagachi to have godly reflexes. The student didn't as much stop to look at the bewildered expression on the Phoenix's face though, and instead continued his attack towards its user as he thrust his dagger forward. Katsumi saw the attack coming this time, but was still not fast enough to be able to evade it, and the dagger in Nagachi's hand nicked her shoes in two systematic attacks.

"Hey, don't just aim for one person," Finally unable to take it any longer, the male student Katsumi had called Shuko let out a boisterous laugh as one of Orochi's many heads descended towards Nagachi with its maws open. He jumped backwards and avoided the attack easily, but raised an eyebrow in mock surprise as the impact of the Orochi's attack caused the ground to shudder. "If it's a challenge you want, then we'll be your opponent, damn it!"

"Shuko, you fool. This boy was just _toying_ with me when he attacked earlier," Katsumi clenched her teeth. She knew Nagachi had enough chances to kill her before she or her Persona could even respond during his earlier attacks, but he had not done so. "He was just _baiting_ you."

"Too late. He said "we". I'll take that as a sign that both of you are demanding a battle," Nagachi smirked. In the end, his opponents had been the one to challenge him after all. Atop his shoulder, Samael let out a low, jeering hiss. "And I accept."

* * *

><p>In the distance, Osamu folded his arms and grumbled to himself as he watched his friend engage the two students. Having taken Nagachi's suggestion of staying behind him, Osamu realized that he probably looked like an idiot, standing so far from the stage and yet not helping out his friend in anyway whatsoever. He wasn't upset that he didn't have to get his hands dirty, but he was concerned over the fate of the two battling with Nagachi. The latter had been right when he claimed that Osamu would not have been able to kill anyone; he was simply too soft to deal a finishing blow to an opponent. He had left his the previous students who had challenged him alive and kicking, after all. Osamu's Persona had also been surprisingly well suited to handle battles and force them to end in a tie, and he believed it was due to his strong feelings of not wanting to hurt anyone.<p>

Flexing his fingers nervously, Osamu continued to watch as Nagachi avoided attack after attack launched at him with ease. The anxiety he felt wasn't _for_ Nagachi though. Osamu was positive that his dagger wielding friend was more than a match for them, and therein laid the problem. He had not personally bore witness to it himself, but there were rumors floating around in the class next to his that they had a natural born killer amongst them, who had struck down his opponents without so much as a shred of mercy in his eyes within the first minute that he was challenged. Coincidentally, that class happened to be the one that Nagachi had been placed in. Osamu never questioned his friend about it of course; he decided that it was simply too personal a matter.

"Aren't you going to help him?" Gabriel appeared beside Osamu with her hands scribbling at an insane speed, and the latter coughed in surprise as he was snapped out of his reverie. "Five minutes have not passed, after all."

"He can win by himself," Osamu didn't know whether he should be happy or sad that what he just said was a fact. "He'll probably finish without breaking a sweat too."

One of the Orochi's wide open maws smashed down onto an area Nagachi was moments ago, and Osamu instinctively moved backwards as he saw the creature rear itself up with a huge chunk of the floor hanging on its shining fangs. The area around them might be reinforced by steel, but the Orochi's user was getting more agitated as each of his attacks missed, and this controversially caused his Persona to attack harder with each strike. Nagachi seemed to be having more fun as he evaded every hit thrown at him though, and the chain reaction was causing the entire hall to get wrecked.

"Hey, aren't you guys concerned over what's happening to the hall? I mean, the gate from last week was one thing, but the whole hall is getting torn to pieces here." Osamu cleared his throat to make his point clear as another piece of the hall was ripped apart by the savage attacks of the Orochi.

"You Persona users don't have to worry about that," the green eyed councilor alternated between observing the battle and taking down notes as she answered the student. "While I will admit that the matter involving the gates last week was an oversight on our part, we have made appropriate adjustments to the school since then. I guarantee you that we are now more than properly equipped to handle _any_ situation a Persona can present."

"Any situation, huh…" Osamu's voice trailed off as he unfolded his arms and placed them into his pockets. Underneath him, elongated due to his current position of standing to the side of one of the hall's lights, Osamu's shadow retained his previous pose. It was so subtle a detail that one could easily have dismissed it as a trick of the light, but the student knew better than to assume that. Shrugging, Osamu returned his attention to the battle taking place before him as he spoke to no one in particular. "Sorry, pal. It doesn't look like we'll have our turn today."

* * *

><p>Shuko's mood had taken a complete about turn from the one he showed at the beginning of battle, and he swore in frustration as each of his Persona's attacks constantly missed their target by a narrow margin. Nagachi's attitude throughout the barrage of attacks he avoided was the same confident one he showed when he initially approached his opponents, and while the dagger was clasped tightly in his hand, the student saw no reason to go on the offensive just yet. Even though it covered an immense area with each of its attacks as it tried to crunch Nagachi in between its jaws using every available head, the Orochi's bulk worked against it here. Gracefully using the necks as mobile platforms while the heads snapped at him, Nagachi was able to avoid getting injured <em>and<em> cause the Orochi to inflict damage on itself at the same time.

"You can't keep evading forever!" Shuko's frustration by his inability to even land a single hit was clear by the amount of force he put into that sentence, which caused flecks of saliva to fall out from his mouth. The student turned to Katsumi with obvious agitation in his eyes as he hollered at her from atop his Persona's eighth head, "And what the hell are _you_ doing? Start _attacking_ already!"

Katsumi gave a pompous glare at her supposed ally as the Phoenix hovering behind Nagachi crowing softly. To a bystander's eye, she had been standing idly beside Orochi while her Persona dawdled on the sidelines, but in truth she had simply been waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Shuko's irritation was affecting his Persona's accuracy and attack synchronization as well, although he was so concentrated on attacking Nagachi that he had failed to notice it. While his first few attacks had actually came close to striking Nagachi, the Orochi's attacks were now so far off that they were causing more harm to themselves than to their opponent.

"Shuko, control your temper or you'll never stand a chance," Katsumi reached her hand into her pockets and produced her weapon, a stun gun she had purchased at a shady shop somewhere in the slums of town. It was only usable at close range, and that meant that she had to stop Nagachi from moving around in order to even have a shot at hitting him with it. "Command all heads of Orochi to strike together. Give him no opening to exploit."

"Isn't that what I'm already doing?" Shuko let out a low growl at Katsumi's suggestion, but commanded the heads to regroup with a snap of his fingers all the same. His hands were beginning to tremble from the self afflicted damage his Persona suffered, and two of the Orochi's heads had their own blood dripping down their shining scythe shaped fangs. Shuko didn't let the pain he was suffering internally show on his face though, and instead commanded the heads to attack as one with another snap of his fingers.

For a moment a look of surprise entered his eyes as Nagachi realized that his opponents were beginning to utilize strategy, and were no longer relying on the random chaotic attacks that they had used earlier. Moving like a tidal wave, each head's movement was mimicked by the others, and they homed in on their target with minimal space between them. Tightening the grip on his dagger, Nagachi moved back a step before running forward to meet the Orochi head on. Launching himself higher than mortally possible into the air with the aid of Samael's wings, the student made a perfect landing on the tough green scales of one of the Orochi's many necks.

The heads didn't stop moving even though they were surprised by Nagachi's superhuman feat though, and the student found himself struggling to stop himself from falling off. While the heads of the Orochi were moving in formation and resembled a platform of sorts, it was still a challenge for Nagachi to keep his balance atop them. The student swore inwardly as his attempts to plunge the dagger into the hide of the Orochi to act as an anchor failed miserably; the scales were much harder than he had predicted, and the weapon only managed to penetrate a few centimeters of the snake.

To make matters worse, Nagachi noted that the Phoenix, which had been immobile since it failed its task of fending off its user's attacker, had started to move once again. The fiery bird let out a high pitched screech as it darted towards Nagachi, who was still having trouble keeping his footing above Orochi's constantly moving head. Its sharp beak narrowly missed Nagachi's head as the latter ducked, but the Phoenix didn't let its advantage slip, and swerved around to continue attacking. This time however, it kept its body closer to the Orochi, and the confidence in Nagachi's eyes wavered as he realized that he wouldn't be able to avoid the attack.

Choosing to move rather than become a sitting duck for his opponent, Nagachi started to move once again, attempting to get out of the unfavorable situation by leaping off the Orochi. The snake didn't give him a chance to do so however, and its heads constantly twisted and turned in order to make movement as difficult as possible for the student. Their grinding against each other caused the gaps between each head to widen, and Nagachi wondered for a moment if he should take the risk of diving through them. He didn't have much time to think however, for Samael let out a hiss to warn him of the Phoenix which was quickly approaching. His legs moved instinctively as he felt the heat emanating from the Phoenix behind him, and Nagachi found himself freefalling through the air a moment later.

It was at this moment that Katsumi made her move. She had been watching Nagachi as he strained himself to stay on top of the Orochi, and by exerting pressure on him by having her Persona attack, Katsumi was able to direct the student towards where she was. Lunging forward, Katsumi stretched out her hand and pulled the trigger on her stun gun. At the same time, one of the Orochi's heads broke its formation and dived towards the student, twisting its head sideways as it prepared to sever Nagachi in two using its huge fangs. It was a perfect attack; Nagachi would be paralyzed and then killed even before his feet touched the ground.

And that was when Katsumi saw the sneer on her opponent's face return. The realization that Nagachi was about to land on the floor faster than she could reach him hit her like a brick wall, and Katsumi searched desperately for an answer as to how the student had somehow managed to completely screw up her timing. And then she groaned as she realized that the answer was right in front of her eyes. The tips of Samael's wings were all facing skyward, and that position had allowed Nagachi to drop significantly quicker than expected.

Still, Katsumi wasn't about to let the only opportunity she had so far to attack Nagachi go by her. She continued her lunge, but immediately felt something was wrong once again when her opponent barely even moved from his spot even though she was drawing close to him. She finally understood why when she was four paces away from Nagachi; there was a sudden release of pressure on her legs, and as she looked down she saw that both of her shoes had been split into two. Images of Nagachi's second attack on her before they had challenged him flashed before Katsumi's eyes, and she finally understood why the student had attacked her shoes and not herself earlier.

With her shoes giving way underneath her, Katsumi took a tumble forward, waving her weapon at Nagachi awkwardly in a last ditch attempt to hit him. Nagachi cocked his head slightly in amusement before stepping aside, causing his opponent to shoot straight past him and into the Orochi's gaping mouth. The Persona let out a miserable shriek and writhed chaotically as the stun gun released volts of electricity inside it, and Shuko let out a similar yell of pain as he felt the damage being echoed to him.

"Is something the matter?" Nagachi chuckled as he observed Shuko thrashing about in pain. "Your Persona doesn't seem to be enjoying its most recent meal."

The head which had swallowed Katsumi made gurgling sounds before it collapsed flat onto the floor, and the female student stepped out with a disgusted expression her face. Her body was now completely covered in green fluids which Nagachi assumed were a combination of digestive juices and snot, and she attempted to get rid of it by smearing them onto the Orochi head she had just emerged from.

"You bitch…" Shuko barely managed to wheeze out his insult, the toll of having one of his Persona's heads die on him stressing his body greatly. "Are you trying to get me killed or something?"

"It's your own fault we got into this situation, so shut the hell up and learn to stop running off that mouth of yours," Katsumi let out a yell of frustration. "_Dammit,_ we aren't even supposed to be fighting this person! Where the hell is this Kazou hiding? He's a bloody coward!"

"You must really be obsessed about finding Kazou to still be mentioning his name in your current situation," Nagachi shook his head. "Though I have to admit that the part about him being a coward is probably right, considering that he decides to just stay at the sidelines and watch instead of engaging you two head on."

"You aren't even in my situation, what the hell do you know? Shuko might not give a shit, but I still have a family to worry about! And if I don't find Kazou, then she's going to-" Katsumi cut herself off as a glint of hope appeared in her eyes. "Did you just say that Kazou is staying at the sidelines?"

"Maybe," Nagachi shrugged, and chortled as he saw that Katsumi was now looking past him and at the few users on the stage still watching the battle from afar. "I think Kazou's the least of your worries now though."

"No, I definitely heard you say something like that. _Phoenix_!" Katsumi screamed the name of her Persona as she turned from Nagachi and started to move towards the stage.

"Oh no you don't," Nagachi prepared to leap towards the student, but his attempt to intercept Katsumi was thwarted as two of the Orochi's heads slammed down onto the floor, blocking his path and forming a miniature arena around the student.

"Leave her be. I don't need that bitch to cause any more trouble for me. I can take you on alone," Shuko breathed heavily as he said this, the exhaustion he was feeling evident in how tired his voice sounded. "You still got six more heads to worry about."

"Don't you mean seven?"

"You're an idiot if you think I'm going to try and get down from this head to engage you without a weapon."

"Ah, so you don't have a weapon on you. Well, that simplifies matters," Nagachi looked towards the direction of the stage that Katsumi had run towards. He was positive he would be able to end the match quickly now that he knew his opponent was unarmed, but the student still wanted to test his limits by attempting to down the Orochi without laying a finger on its user. That was partially the reason he had not stuck to his usual style of ending a battle quickly, after all. Knowing that Katsumi would have undoubtedly reached her destination by the time he was through with the Orochi though, Nagachi decided to count on the only other person standing between the runaway and her target. "Osamu, that one's all yours!"

* * *

><p>Osamu had been unsure what to make of Katsumi sprinting away from the battle, but when his friend had hollered his name, he realized that Nagachi meant for him to stop the student. Perking up instantly with his shadow expanding underneath him, Osamu looked towards Gabriel for confirmation, the memory of the amended rules of the school still fresh in his mind.<p>

"Four minutes and fifty seconds have elapsed since the start of this battle," the councilor's reply to his unspoken inquiry was swift. "You have less than ten seconds to make up your mind if you intend to fight."

"Just in the nick of time, huh?" Osamu nodded as he stepped in between Katsumi and the stage. "Sorry, but this is about as far as you'll go."

"Argh, you aren't Kazou! Get out of my way!" Katsumi let out an aggravated shout as her Persona swooped in from above, spreading its blazing wings out in order to maximize its area of attack.

Osamu pursed his lips as he remained where he was, watching the Phoenix approach him with a frightening speed. As it got within attacking range, a large black ball emerged from underneath the student and blocked off the Phoenix's path of attack, causing the bird to make a sharp turn to avoid ramming itself into the object. Cawing in surprise, the Phoenix soared upwards before returning to the side of its user, who was looking completely upset at the fact that she was being hindered once again.

Katsumi alternated her eyes between Osamu and the few Persona users on the stage, and she clenched her fist as she considered taking the risk of simply sprinting past her new opponent. Gabriel was looking at her intently from the side though, and Katsumi noticed the councilor shaking her head as though in response to what the student was thinking.

"_Damn_," Katsumi spitted the word out, the fact that she lost her chance at engaging Kazou causing her to feel crestfallen. Now left with no other choice, she started to direct her anger at the situation towards the only person standing before her. "I had _one_ chance, and you just _had_ to ruin it, didn't you, asshole?"

"One chance for what?" Osamu narrowed his eyes. "What's so important about Kazou that makes you want to kill him so badly?"

"_Just shut up already!_ You wanted a fight, right?" Katsumi pointed an accusing finger at her opponent. "Well, I'll give you one! Phoenix, burn him down to ashes!"

The Phoenix dived towards Osamu at the command of its user, and this time the flames on its body increased several times in intensity as it did so. Even as the black ball in front of Osamu moved to protect him, the fiery bird showed no signs of stopping. There was a hissing sound as the Phoenix entered the mass of darkness, and after a second, it emerged from the ball in a disorientated state. As it hovered unsteadily, a burst of black flames shot out from the ball, and the Phoenix was forced backwards as its opponent finally revealed itself.

"Is this a joke…?" Katsumi stared wide-eyed at the Persona of her opponent, whose body structure completely resembled that of her own. From the dangerously pointed beak down to the multiple flaming feathers that hung from its rear, Osamu's Persona would be a complete mirror image of its opponent, if not for the detail of its color. Whereas Katsumi's Phoenix had a radiant shine to its flames and a brilliant fire in its eyes, Osamu's one had black flames that danced around its body, and its eyes held an unholy mass of darkness.

"Meet your own worst enemy," Osamu stepped backwards as his Persona stretched out its wings in a similar fashion to its opponent, the flames of darkness burning atop its wings increasing in size to give it an intimidating appearance. "I'd stop this fight right now if I were you."

Katsumi's Persona clearly had no intention of stopping however, and the Phoenix let out an earsplitting screech as it darted towards Osamu once more. This time however, Osamu's own Persona flew upwards to intercept its opponent, emitting its own war-cry at the same time. The two birds clashed in midair with their talons out, slashing at each other relentlessly as the crimson and black colors of their flames singed the other party. Katsumi quickly sensed that something was amiss however, for while her Persona managed to nick its opponent in several places, Osamu showed no signs of having taken any damage at all.

On the other hand, she was feeling the full effects of each wound inflicted upon the Phoenix, and her face scrunched up in pain as the two Personae continued to do combat. Letting out a scream as she felt a particularly excruciating sting across her chest, Katsumi looked up in agony at her Persona, who had suffered a huge gash across its torso from its opponent's claws. Osamu's Persona, sensing that its victory was drawing close, flitted forward and threw its entire body weight against the Phoenix, causing the bird to crash onto the floor as the fire around its body dimmed.

"You're just going to end up killing yourself," Osamu sighed as he placed his hands into his pockets and assumed a casual pose. "There's no way you can defeat a shadow. Any damage you attempt to do would simply be returned to yourself, and right now I'm not even using that damage rebounding ability yet."

"We'll see about that," Katsumi coughed as she crawled over to her Persona, her wounds from the reflected damage causing blood to seep forth from underneath her clothing. "You do know what Phoenixes are known for in legends involving them, don't you?"

The female student sneered as she saw the look in her opponent's eyes shift from one of confusion to alarm. Before Osamu or his Persona could make a move however, Katsumi held her hand over the Phoenix as it lay on the floor. The blood from her injuries quickly dribbled down towards the Persona, and as the red liquid touched the bird, the flames around it reignited with a passion. Shrugging off its wounds as they literally disappeared, the Phoenix took to the air once again with a beat of its wings, bathing the area around it in a radiant yellow glow.

"Oh you're kidding me," Osamu was forced to turn his sensitive eyes away from the Persona as it shined brightly, his sunglasses only providing him with minimal help against the glare. "Immortality?"

"_Immortality_," Katsumi smiled as she repeated the word her opponent had said, but hidden underneath her grin was a painful truth that only she knew. While her Persona was truly immortal, capable of revitalizing itself and escaping the grasp of death whenever necessary, each revival of the Phoenix cost its user a year or so of their lifespan. Katsumi herself would not be rejuvenated either; so there was always the risk of an enemy targeting her instead of the Phoenix. It was the final triumph card that Katsumi's Persona had informed her about when the bird spoke to her in the dead of the night, and while she wasn't all too keen in using it before, her present situation gave her no choice. "And one more thing…surely you know that revealing information about yourself is a bad move in a battle like this?"

"What?" Osamu barely whispered the word as he noticed that the light emanating from the Phoenix was covering an increasingly larger area with each passing second. At the same time, his Persona started to shrink away from the brightness, the light causing it to shrivel as it made contact.

"You mentioned that your Persona was a shadow, correct? May I remind you that the Phoenix is a bird whose body consists of flames more than anything else? And fire has another purpose besides being used for heat…it gives out _light_," Katsumi beamed triumphantly, confident that the battle was already won. "And a beacon of light always chases away the shadows."

"Shit," Osamu kept his eyes away from the Phoenix, who was now letting its vibrant glow cover almost half of the hall. Turning away from the source provided him with a temporary respite, but Osamu knew that it was only a matter of time before the entire hall became illuminated, and by then his Persona would have completely dissipated. "There _has_ to be a way out of this."

Narrowing his eyes due to the brightness, Osamu searched frantically around the hall for something that could provide him with a chance of fighting back. The entire area was filled with stands and leftover prop that the student body had dropped as they escaped from the Orochi, but none of those things could fend off the increasing brilliance of the Phoenix. The walls that were reinforced with steel provided no respite either, and as the floor started to take on a white hue, Osamu turned his line of sight upwards, his eyes already beginning to turn red from all the brightness.

And at that precise moment, amongst all the whiteness inside the hall, Osamu noticed something he had failed to see earlier. There were circular metallic objects that hung from the same beams that the lights in the hall were dangling from, each containing what appeared to be a glass bulb with a black liquid swirling around inside them. Osamu remembered having seen something like them before in his old school, and he let out a startled cry as he realized what the functions of the devices were.

Seeing the way out of his predicament, Osamu screamed something unintelligible to his Persona as he pointed at the objects before closing his eyes from the overwhelming pain. There was a small gust of wind as the student felt his Persona taking flight, and the few seconds he stood in place felt like an eternity as thoughts over whether his Persona could make it in time ran through his mind.

The answer showed itself as Osamu felt the cold sensation of water hitting his body a moment later, and the student opened his eyes to find himself drenched by the liquid being expelled from the fire sprinklers he had ordered his Persona to charge towards. The shadowy version of the Phoenix had easily triggered the mechanism of the sprinkler using the fumes from its body, and the effects of the water were immediate. The light that the Phoenix gave off using the flames on its body vanished instantly as it was soaked to the skin. Katsumi, who had not moved from her kneeled position on the floor since she revitalized her Persona, started to pick herself up in confusion.

"What the hell did you do?" Katsumi watched her Persona return to her side, smoke rising from its body as the water from the sprinklers made contact with the flames. While the fire on its body was not affected by the water in the least, the sprinklers had released the water at a high enough pressure to break the Phoenix's concentration and end its attack. A movement near the ceiling of the hall caught her attention, and Katsumi twisted her neck upwards to see Osamu's Persona spewing black flames at another sprinkler, causing more water to flood the hall as it activated. Quickly putting two and two together, the student let out a laugh of disbelief. "How did you know?"

"More a stroke of luck really, but someone had told me that this school was well prepared to handle any form of situation, so I figured that they would have a way to handle fires as well," Osamu shrugged as he took off his sunglasses, knowing that the equipment would be more of a hinder than a help to him in a wet environment. "Besides, I'm just doing to you what you just did to me. Just as a bright light causes the shadows to flee, so does a healthy amount of water put out a blaze."

* * *

><p>"Water…?" Nagachi looked upwards in surprise as water splashed down all over the area, and his opponent mimicked his action as well. Shuko had been having a completely miserable time trying to hit his opponent after Katsumi left the battle, and his energy was now at an all time low. Nagachi was still attempting to fight the giant snake without attacking its user, but the temptation to end the match instantly was now beginning to get to him.<p>

"You know, you keep acting like you've already won, but I'd say it's still a bit too early to say that this battle is over," The introduction of water into the battlefield had made Shuko realize that he still stood a chance, and he snapped a finger to signal for the heads of his Persona to regroup. With the exception of the two heads that blocked Nagachi off from the rest of the hall and the one which had fallen after its unfortunate meal, the rest of the heads converged around the head that Shuko was seated atop. "I think I can completely reverse the situation right now."

"I'd like to see you try," Nagachi knew that the reduced friction on the floor and the water hammering down on him from the sprinklers would prove to be a challenge to overcome, but the student was still confident that he had the battle in the palm of his hand. "Come on then."

Shuko let out a bark, and the rightmost head of the Orochi responded by diving towards Nagachi as the other heads watched. It was another slow attack that Nagachi could see coming from a mile away, and the student leapt clear of the way as the head sunk its glistening fangs into the floor. It didn't instantly rear itself up though, and Nagachi considered using the head as easy access to the Orochi's user for a moment. His train of thought was interrupted as a sharp crack rung through the air however, and Nagachi raised an eyebrow as he realized that the source of the sound was the head whose fangs still impaled the floor.

"Let me tell you a little something," Shuko patted one of the heads around him as he spoke, causing the Orochi to let out a soft hiss. "Orochi originally had no fangs. It preferred to swallow its food whole. Those incisors that you see were created from pure _ice_."

"Ice?" Nagachi looked towards the fangs of the head that was still sinking its teeth into the floor. It was true that while they resembled real fangs, there was an unnatural gleam that shone inside each of the fangs each time one of the heads of the Orochi moved.

"Yes, ice. You see, Orochi naturally has powers over frost, but in order to use them, it first has to make _physical contact_," Shuko had a cocky smile on his face as he spoke. "You get what I'm saying here?"

Nagachi snapped to attention the instant his opponent revealed that piece of information, his eyes now looking downwards at the floor. The water all around him now possessed a frozen sheen, and as the student made a slight movement, he found himself slipping onto the ice. At the same time, the Orochi head closest to him removed its fangs from the floor, both of its teeth crumbling apart as it did so. Within seconds however, new fangs formed themselves on its jaws, and the head instantly put them to use by attempting to impale the fallen Nagachi. The student barely managed to roll out of the way, and as he slid along the floor, the two heads which had formed the barricade around him made their move as well.

Samael's wings started to move feverishly as it attempted to bring its user to safety, but the speed it provided to Nagachi was rendered useless by the slippery floor, which completely made control over movement next to impossible. The maws of the two heads barely missing him by inches, Nagachi stabbed his dagger into the floor as he used it to get himself upright. It was a difficult task keeping his footing on top of an icy floor however, and as the three heads moved towards him again, Nagachi made a decision to leap into the air. The velocity that he was flying forward at would cause him and the Orochi's heads to meet at the center should the latter continue their movement, but almost as if they had predicted his intention, each of the heads instantly ceased their movement.

"I can't believe you really thought it was a good idea to try and get into the air when your Persona's wings are wet," Shuko laughed. "Hey, did I mention that Orochi didn't just have powers over frost? For a creature of this size with so many heads, the lungs it possesses are pretty powerful. Now if it forcefully pushes the air _out_ of its mouth, what do you think will happen?"

Nagachi wasn't in any mood to answer his opponent's questions though, and was already commanding Samael to move backwards inside his mind. The serpent adjusted its wings swiftly, but at the same instance all three of the Orochi's heads positioned in front of the two opened their maws and shot out a blast of highly pressurized air. Unable to even see the attacks coming, both the serpent and its user found themselves sailing through the air at an incredible speed before slamming into the wall.

"I see. Against an opponent who can manipulate air, your wings work against you, especially when carrying a load like me," Nagachi shook his head to clear it as he addressed Samael before proceeding to pick himself up. His backbone stinging as he moved, Nagachi surveyed his surroundings and noted that the attack had sent him spiraling away from the arena of ice that Shuko had created for him. His opponent was now quite a distance away, and the Orochi's multiple heads congregated together once again in preparation for Nagachi's next attack. An unnaturally cruel look overtook the student's expression as he tightened his grip on his weapon, causing his knuckles to become drained of their color. "Four attacks ought to finish this."

The snakelike pupil of his left eye appearing more fitting on his face than ever, Nagachi bent his body slightly as he prepared to charge forward in what would be his finishing attack. On his shoulder, Samael pressed itself against its user, preparing to provide Nagachi with as much speed as possible when he started to move. Having finished planning his attack, Nagachi held his weapon hand behind him, his free hand touching the wet floor with three fingers. And then, with a tremendous burst of speed, he accelerated forward, his body becoming almost a blur.

The adrenaline coursing through Nagachi's body contributed significantly to his speed, but Samael played just as important a role. Water splattered behind him as the student moved through the puddles, quickening his pace even more with each step he took. Nagachi knew that under normal circumstances he would be able to reach his opponent if he jumped from his current position, but he also knew that it would be the end for him if he got struck by all seven of the Orochi's wind blast attack during the process. Rather than take the risk, the student adjusted his course gradually until he was running straight towards the fallen Orochi head.

The water beating down on him from above was a serious problem to his speed though, and as Nagachi approached his opponent, he knew that he would never be able to move towards Shuko without eating at least one attack. Spying the shimmer of the frozen water a few feet in front of him, Nagachi tensed the muscles in his legs, and then hurdled himself upwards as he twisted his body sideways. The student caught sight of Shuko laughing as the Orochi's multiple heads puffed out their cheeks, preparing to use their wind attacks to force him back once again.

Holding his dagger up high, Nagachi performed a midair spin as he cleared the distance between him and the fallen Orochi head in one leap. Samael's wings shifted slightly as the serpent adjusted its user's path in the air, its tongue licking the edge of Nagachi's dagger as the two prepared to finish the battle. The instant he got within range, the student thrust his dagger into the vulnerable eyeball of the head, putting his entire body weight into that one attack. The results of the attack instantly showed themselves as Shuko doubled over in pain, causing the rest of the Orochi's heads to become panicky and confused.

Nagachi twisted his dagger in place to maximize the damage done, causing a greenish liquid to spurt out of the eyeball. Not stopping his assault however, Nagachi removed the dagger and continued his sprint up the neck of the Orochi. The green scales he ran on top of provided excellent friction, and effectively negated the water around the student as he moved. The remaining heads of the Orochi, sensing that they were in danger, made various swipes at Nagachi, but their movements were sluggish and ineffective. Each head missed their target by a large radius, and it was only when Nagachi was standing before Shuko that the latter noted his presence.

"Attacking my weakened head like that…is cheap," Shuko breathing had gotten ragged once again, and the student held one hand over his right eye as a red liquid flowed down his cheeks. "How did you get past the other he-"

"Samael's a genuine serpent; he possesses a poison that slows response time considerably. Your Persona is now experiencing reality several seconds behind the actual time," Nagachi held his dagger up for his Persona to lick once again, and Shuko let out a groan as he saw that the heads of the Orochi seemed to be baffled over what was happening, each head of the Persona still not registering the fact that the enemy was already standing before their user. "It took some time, but your fate was already sealed when I pierced that scale earlier while standing on the necks of your Persona."

"Your name was…Nagachi, right? Do you think we can…come to a compro-"

Nagachi's hand moved swiftly before Shuko could finish his sentence, plunging his dagger twice into the student's neck, and then thrusting it into his lung for good measure. The student let out a gasp of surprise as his words were interrupted by a sudden flow of blood from his throat. As he staggered forward pitifully in shock, Nagachi gave Shuko a kick and sent the student plummeting towards the floor before letting himself fall towards the ground as well.

With its user dead, the Orochi started to fade away into nothingness, its body parts slowly becoming transparent before vanishing altogether. Each of the heads weren't willing to go without a fight however, and they swiped at Nagachi several times as the student passed them through the air. Samael's poison was still in effect however, and each of their lumbering attacks failed completely as Nagachi landed onto the floor unharmed, the impact of falling from a high height negated by Samael's expert control of his wings. Giving his opponent's corpse a passing glance, the water pouring down from the sprinklers gradually washed away the blood on Nagachi's dagger as the student turned away from his kill.

"Humph. Good riddance."

* * *

><p>The Orochi's death throes attracted both Katsumi and Osamu's attention, but the former didn't seem surprised at what she saw. The eight headed snake was becoming more invisible by the second, and Nagachi was now walking calmly towards the two of them. Rather, Osamu seemed to be more shocked than his opponent as he stared at Shuko's corpse, the amount of blood on the floor giving the student a huge hint as to what his friend had done.<p>

Above the two, the Phoenixes of fire and shadow were once again locked in combat, but this time Katsumi's Persona held the advantage as it constantly released bursts of bright light to fend off its opponent. All of its efforts were only managing to make the battle a stalemate however, for no matter how hard the Phoenix tried, none of its physical or magical attacks could inflict a single wound upon its foe. Knowing that her time was limited now that Nagachi had defeated Shuko and was moving in on them, Katsumi recalled her Persona to her side as she stretched out her hand. Osamu's Persona remained hovering in the air, looking puzzled at why its opponent suddenly decided to withdraw.

The Phoenix perched perfectly on her outstretched left arm, the Persona's flames not affecting its user in the least. Katsumi's other hand held her weapon close to her, but she knew that the unit was not waterproof. The chances of the stun gun working after having been soaked in water were almost nonexistent, but the student still clung on to that final hope that it will somehow bring about a conclusion to her battle. Looking at the bird in its fiery eyes, Katsumi formulated her plan out in her mind and saw the Persona give her a small nod in approval.

"Shuko was a damn fool to get into a battle with an opponent that was way out of his caliber," as she spoke to distract her opponent, Katsumi slowly made her way towards Osamu, knowing that the closer she was, the higher her chance of succeeding. The factor of her weapon not working was there of course, but the student knew she could always rely on her Persona if her stun gun failed her. "But you don't seem all that tough compared to your friend."

"Are you still trying to attack? Really, just give it up and we can both walk away from this," Osamu's words caused Katsumi's heart to jump, and she noticed that the former's eyes were focused on her feet, both of which ceased their shuffling the moment the student knew she was being watched. "Your Persona can't die, but on the other hand, mine can't be injured either. In this case, the two of us are at the most risk, but I can guarantee you that if you try anything in this situation, you _will_ lose."

Each drop of water created a hissing noise as they splattered onto the Phoenix's smoking body, and Katsumi laughed as she looked at the water falling down around her. The amount of liquid pouring forth from the sprinklers had severely decreased since their initial activation, and what was originally a downpour was now a mere drizzle. Her feet making tiny movements forward once more, the student taunted her enemy, "You don't really think that a little water is enough to snuff out a creature of eternal flame like my Phoenix, do you?"

"Alright, if that's how you want to do things, then I guess I'll have to end this match by disabling you completely. On the bright side, since your Persona can't die, I won't feel as guilty for doing this," Osamu let out a disappointed sigh as he shot a gaze towards his Persona, and at the same time pointed a finger at an unused sprinkler behind him. The Phoenix created out of shadow flew towards what its user had pointed at once, and then hovered beside the mechanism, its blazing wings bringing the device dangerously close to activating. "True, the drizzle now might not be enough put out a flame like your Phoenix, but at close range, the pressure released from one of those sprinklers when they are set off is tremendous."

"What're you getting at?" Katsumi narrowed her eyes. Her opponent's Persona was now dangerously far from its user, and it created the perfect window for her to strike. Before she could charge at him however, a strange smile appeared on Osamu's face.

"I never once said anything about attacking _your_ Phoenix. No, it would be pointless for me to do that. After all, whenever one attempts to harm the shadow, one always ends up hurting the source."

Osamu's words reminded his opponent of what he had said when he declared what his Persona was created out of earlier, and Katsumi finally grasped the severity of her situation. As her eyes shifted between her opponent and the location of the sinister mirror image of her Phoenix, the student let out a scream of rage, knowing that it was already far too late for her to attack.

Rather than acknowledging her defeat there and then like her opponent expected her to though, Katsumi instead bounded forward, thrusting her weapon straight at the other party. Her Persona let out a similar cry as it dislodged itself from its user's hand and headed for Osamu's unprotected torso, rearing up its foot in preparation to rake the student's face. Realizing that Katsumi wasn't going to throw the match until she was down to her final breath, Osamu calmly retreated a few steps backwards as he gave a signal to his Persona using his hands.

The shadowy Phoenix reacted to its user's hand gesture instantly, throwing itself into the sprinkler and causing the device to unleash a torrent of water which gushed outwards with an incredible amount of force. As the water completely enveloped Osamu's Persona, Katsumi's Phoenix twitched for an instant before dropping from the air. Its falling body began to get covered in abrasions that quickly developed into wounds which leaked blood profusely, and by the time it hit the floor, the Phoenix was completely mutilated.

Katsumi did not even have enough time to register the pain she felt before she found her left arm disjoining itself from her body. The severed limb released a spurt of red liquid behind it as it flew through the air, landing a few meters behind the student, whose face had turned completely white as she struggled to comprehend what had happened. Her Phoenix made a herculean effort to pick itself up, and as it got onto its legs, the feathers of its left wings fell away onto the floor, turning into flickering embers as they touched the wood.

Casting a hateful look at the silhouette of Osamu's Persona who was still positioned in front of the sprinkler, Katsumi gave herself no time to grieve over the loss of her arm, recovering from the shock instantaneously. Channeling the pain she felt into resolve, the student pounced once more at her opponent, who was taken aback by her tenacity. Pulling the trigger, a look of wonder entered Katsumi's eyes as the student saw blue sparks start to emerge from the tip of the weapon despite all the water around it. Her first thought was that it was a hallucination from her loss of blood, but the electricity on the weapon persisted somehow despite the wet environment, and Katsumi let out a laugh of victory as she felt the stun gun make physical contact.

The student's laughter was cut short as her joyful expression contorted into one of agony, and as Katsumi took in what she had hit, her mind screamed in unbelief. Right in front of her was a mirror image of _herself _that appeared to be made out of dark matter, and it was this being that the stun gun continued to pump electricity into. The ordinarily stunning effects of the weapon was amplified by the water trickling down both her and the mirror image's body, and Katsumi's body trembled violently as the pulses of electricity traveled through her body unhindered. Unable to either pull away or push forward, the student closed her eyes, the passion in her eyes finally dying away.

"Enough!" Osamu's voice echoed painfully in Katsumi's ears, and the student felt instant relief as she buckled onto the floor, her weapon creating a splash as it dropped into a puddle on the floor. "What the hell…I thought I told you before that you'll end up killing yourself."

Already unable to feel her legs, Katsumi couldn't help but laugh weakly at her condition. The Phoenix limped weakly over to its owner before falling next to her body, and the student managed to place one wobbly hand over the mourning creature. "I never stood a chance. Why didn't you just finish me off sooner?"

"_Because I thought you would have more common sense than to attempt attacks at the cost of your own life!_" Osamu yelled at his opponent sharply, and the latter easily made out the frustration in his voice. "I'm calling this battle off. You'll need medical attention as soon as possible."

"It's pointless. I already lost, so she'll get me even if I live through today," a freezing feeling filled every part of Katsumi's body as she spoke, and the student knew that her time was soon going to be up. Mustering the last of her energy, Katsumi turned her head towards Osamu and his Persona. "Your Persona…what's it called?"

"Now's not the time for-"

"I deserve to know that much at least."

"We need to get you to Raphael," Osamu walked forward and prepared to hoist the student onto his body. "Come on."

"_Tell me_." Katsumi's dying voice still had an adamant hint in it, although her sentences were getting increasingly short as her breathing lightened.

"It's just a shadow, but it did whisper its name to me when we first met," seeing that Katsumi had already given up clinging onto life and knowing that whatever he tried would be in vain, Osamu bit his lips in vexation as he decided to fulfill his opponent's dying wish. "Doppelganger."

"Doppelganger…huh?" Katsumi laid her eyes on Osamu's Persona, who was still taking her form and staring down at her. The Persona was a complete lookalike of her, down to every last detail on her uniform, and if not for the black color scheme and eyes which resembled abysses, the two of them have been indistinguishable. Her Phoenix let out a soft cry as the fire around it died down, and the student closed her eyes and giggled one last time. "Fitting…very fitting."

* * *

><p>"Not bad," Nagachi sounded impressed as he walked up to his friend, "I didn't think you'd really be able to kill someone, so I was getting ready to dive in, but it turned out your shadow was way faster than me."<p>

"She killed herself," Osamu replied softly as he looked down at the body of Katsumi with remorseful eyes. "What an idiot."

Beside the two students, Gabriel's hand finally ceased its movements as she stopped her writing. Tilting her head thoughtfully, the councilor stepped towards Doppelganger, who was still assuming the form of its dead opponent. "This Persona…"

"What about it?" Osamu didn't bother to hide the resentment in his voice as he spoke.

"No, I'm probably just mistaken," Gabriel straightened her posture and gave the surroundings a look before addressing the two students, "Both of you put up a good fight. Discovering the fire sprinklers and narrowly avoiding your loss was an interesting moment, Osamu. However…"

At this point the councilor looked towards the four Persona users looking at them from the stage, and distance between the two groups closed dramatically within a few seconds. Osamu reeled over from the unexpected movement, and even Nagachi appeared slightly surprised. Gabriel folded her arms as she stepped backwards to get everyone into her line of sight, a wrathful glint shining in her eyes.

"Let me remind all of you that any outside influence in a battle between Personae is forbidden. Katsumi's stun gun working even after it was drenched was an unusual stroke of luck. Do you really think that I wouldn't have noticed you attempting to shift the tides of battle?" Gabriel's sentence switching from the plural to singular form made the entire group look at each other in confusion. A beep sounded from device on the councilor's wrist, and Gabriel shook her head in irritation. "Leave the bodies here; Raphael will collect them later. And to that person I was talking to: consider yourself saved by the bell."

The councilor walked briskly towards the back of the stage, turning to give one last dreadful look at the users to make her point clear before disappearing from sight. Scratching his head, Reikio looked around the group before asking, "So what was that all about?"

"I don't know," Kazou mumbled, and then turned his head to look at the two victors of the battle. "Nice win."

"Totally awesome skills you guys displayed," Zak nodded his head in agreement.

"Naturally," Nagachi's reply was quick, and the student rewrapped the handle of his weapon as Samael vanished from his side. "That was a pathetic excuse of an opponent I faced after all."

"This wasn't how it was supposed to end," Osamu's eyes were downcast as the student lurched over to the stage and took a seat, seemingly oblivious of the fact that the wooden flooring was damp with water. "This is all wrong."

Kazou looked at the dejected student quizzically, but quickly recalled the whole purpose of Osamu deciding to fight in the first place. "Well, after what you did, I guess it wouldn't be right of me to suspect you of being an enemy of mine any longer."

"Thanks," Osamu gave Kazou a weak smile, but the student's disheartened eyes still clearly showed his unhappiness at his situation. "Then at least something was gained by that battle."

"Speaking of that, your Persona has some pretty amazing abilities," Zak glanced at Doppelganger as the Persona had returned to its original form. As it became a black mass of darkness, Osamu's Persona slowly sunk onto the floor and merged with its user's shadow. "It could probably overpower every other Persona user inside the school in a battle if it was used for more sinister purposes."

"Yeah, I know," Osamu gave a soft laugh which quickly died off. "Good thing a pacifist like me is in control of it, huh?"

The student stood up slowly as he cast his gaze around the hall, wincing as his eyes went past the bodies of Katsumi and Shuko. The insides of the hall had been utterly decimated, and the framework of the entire floor around the area Nagachi had done battle in was revealed by the damage the Orochi had done. The stands meant for the students to promote their clubs and activities had fallen over due to the tremors caused by the Orochi, and burn marks from the remnant of the Phoenix's attacks blackened the hall in multiple places. The water from the sprinklers had stopped completely, but the center of the hall was still covered inch deep in the liquid.

Garbage was scattered around the hall, most of them dropped when the non-users had scampered out of the hall in their haste to leave, and all the rubbish strewn about gave the area a lonely feeling. Osamu let out a sigh and waved his hand over the area before speaking, "Look, I'm eager to put a stop to this school's notorious activities as soon as possible, so that we no longer have to worry about crap like what had just happened occurring again. I'm not sure how much all of you trust me, but I can't take on the school alone, and there's never a better time to seek aid than when a group of users is seated around me."

"Wait," One of Kazou's eyebrows was arched in the air in amusement. "You are asking _us_ for help?"

"See, I told you that you were too idealistic, Osamu," Nagachi scoffed at Kazou's response to his friend's proposal as he slid the dagger into its sheath in his pocket. "People naturally value themselves over others. If you think that you can just rally them up like thi-"

Nagachi's sentence was interrupted by Reikio as the blonde haired student doubled over in laughter. Turning to Kazou, Reikio managed to speak out a coherent sentence in the midst of his laughing. "Don't you think the situation feels kind of familiar?"

"Very," Kazou found himself chuckling as well, but he quickly suppressed the laughter as he explained to Osamu his relationship with Reikio. "Reikio and I happened to have come to a similar agreement last week. You could say it was the reason he still hasn't attacked me after I allegedly stole Gabriel from his side."

"So that's why he hung around instead of fleeing like the other users," Osamu nodded his head thoughtfully as he stared at Reikio. "I'm glad to finally find someone who shares my cause. You can call me Osamu, and that dagger wielding pessimist's name is Nagachi."

"Reikio," the blonde haired student produced a poker card from the pocket of his pants and tossed it over to Osamu. The latter's perplexed expression from having the card thrown to him changed into a startled one as he observed the symbol of the Joker transform into that of Loki. "The trickster."

"I see," the student nodded as he stuffed the card away into his pocket before stepping forward. Placing his hand out in front of him, Osamu's next words were spoken with a heartfelt expression in his eyes. "Since we're now acquainted with one another, can I ask if any of you are willing to help me in my quest to shut this school down?"

"I'm totally in," Zak placed his hand on top of Osamu's, and the teenager pumped his other hand into the air. "We'll make the best team ever."

"You make it sound damn heroic, you know?" Kazou stretched out his hand regardless and placed it on top of the other two.

"If K-boy's in, then I am too," Reikio grinned as he tossed the other Joker card of the deck he was holding into the air, causing it to float slowly downwards before landing on top of the others' hands. "As is Loki."

"Humph, teamwork and friendship is great and all," Nagachi tilted his head in Yuri's direction. "But what about her?"

The lone female in the group had been unmoving since the battle ended, and now that Kazou had ample time to observe Yuri closely, he realized that her face looked distinctly foreign. He had not noticed it earlier due to the girl forcing him to look away with her scowl, but Yuri's attention right now wasn't on any of the users on the stage. Following her gaze, Kazou found himself staring at the other end of the hall. There were multiple floors filled with rows of red seats meant for an audience, and behind them all was the PA room. Yuri was focused intently on whatever was behind the tinted glass, her mind scarcely paying attention to what was happening with the users a few meters away from her.

"Yuri?" Osamu repeated the student's name for the third time, and the female student finally realized that her name was being called as she blinked. Turning to face the five users, Yuri looked at them with a confused expression, and Osamu sighed as he realized that the student had not been aware of what had been happening the whole time. "You really spaced out there, huh?"

"I…" Yuri turned towards the PA room once more, but whatever it was in there that had stolen her attention was now gone. Looking at the five Persona users before her, Yuri shook her head anxiously as she moved backwards. "Sorry. I gotta go!"

The white haired student turned and bolted as soon she finished her sentence, and was already out of sight before anyone in the group could say anything else. The five users left behind were nonplussed by her sudden action, but Osamu simply shook his head after a moment.

"I guess that means it'll only be the five of us."

* * *

><p>The moon was completely covered by the reddened clouds which threatened to bring a storm onto the lands underneath it, and there was a thick sense of foreboding in the air as Yuri sat on one of the swings of the playground in silence. It was way past her curfew, but the student hardly cared as she looked around the area which reminded her so much of her childhood. Sitting in the playground was a much better option than returning home to her foster parents after all. Yuri was sure that they would be waiting to chide her the moment she stepped through the door, and as such she would always stay out late until she was sure both of them were asleep.<p>

Grinding the sand underneath her feet, Yuri thought back to the events of the day as a strong wind blew around her, signaling that a storm was approaching. The Orochi and Phoenix attacking had not been anything alarming to the student, but the strong feeling that she was being watched from the PA room whilst the battle was underway disturbed her in more ways than one. She had felt something familiar hidden behind that tinted glass, but her mind simply couldn't process what it was that had stirred her emotions up.

She had returned to the hall hours after the battle when the other five users were long gone, and made her way up towards the PA room in the hope of finding a clue to whatever was disturbing her so. The door had been locked, but after three consecutive shoves it gave way, although Yuri's shoulder was now positively sore. Stepping into the room, the student observed panels which made no sense to her being lit up, but quickly lost interest in them as she realized that they provided no hints whatsoever as to who had been in the room before. The other equipment in the room failed to catch her eye, and Yuri eventually left the room feeling disappointed.

Blinking as she snapped out of her reverie, Yuri turned her eyes towards the slide on the playground. It was small compared to some of the others the student had seen when she was constantly on the move, switching foster parents after every six months or so because most of them were unable to handle her temperament. Still, every playground she saw, with their plastic animals meant for children to ride and the swings and slides that gave so much joy to kids, managed to evoke bittersweet memories of her past inside her mind.

* * *

><p>Almost like some ludicrous story, a playground was the very area in which Yuri's parents had abandoned her. Both of them had taken turns to push her on the swing, and then midway through her own laughter, she caught a glimpse of her parents taking off. The sudden occurrence caused Yuri to fall off the swing in shock, the momentum causing her to eat a mouthful of the sand underneath her. By the time she had picked herself up, both of her parents were long out of sight, and a heartbroken Yuri could only wait by the swing in the vain hope that they would return.<p>

They never did go back to get her of course, for both parties vanished from the country no more than a day later. A weak, homeless crying girl seated unmoving atop a swing in a playground was bound to catch attention though, and soon enough a kind soul brought her to the attention of the police. It took a lot of persuasion to convince Yuri to get off the swing willingly, and the police had placed her in a nearby orphanage while they searched for her parents.

The first thing that had caught Yuri's attention when she arrived at the orphanage was not the warmly greeting of the caretakers, or the homely feel of the place. Instead, the first thing that the girl noticed was the playground located at the back of the area, and she completely ignored everything else in the orphanage in favor of plopping herself down on the seat of the swing. That swing would also be where Yuri spent majority of her time in the orphanage, preferring to be alone rather than interact with any of the other orphans.

The caretakers in the orphanage were bewildered as to what would cause Yuri to act this abnormally, but quickly understood why she behaved like that as they heard about her story from the police. One of them even came up with a theory that her mind had been traumatized from the entire event, and had forged an illusion that waiting at any random swing in a playground would cause her parents to return someday. Whether or not this was true was up to speculation, but it sounded convincing at the time and resulted in the caretakers leaving her be, none of them willing to break the girl's heart further.

Yuri's memories of the orphanage were thus filled with more isolation time on the swing than anything else, and although the caretakers tried to talk her into playing with her peers, Yuri stubbornly refused to budge from her spot. Her behavior and unique appearance caused the children in the orphanage to shun her after some time, and she became a frequent target for bullying due to how quiet she was. Her physical condition then was also pretty pathetic, and the other children mocked her for it. Yuri merely brooded silently as she sat on the swing however, and slowly felt the flow of time go by.

And then one day her loneliness ended when a single girl from a new batch of children walked up to her. Yuri still remembers the bright and cheery eyes of the girl as the latter took a seat on the swing beside her, and together the two of them sat in silence for a good minute. Yuri had tried her best to ignore the newcomer, and just as it looked as though the girl was about to speak, a boy's voice had broken the silence between them.

"Why are you even bothering with _her_?" the boy who had said that was known to Yuri as Masao, and a bunch of orphans were gathered behind him, laughing snidely as he spoke. Masao had often made Yuri a laughing stock around the orphanage by circulating rumors about her, although she had refused to entertain anyone who asked her about them. "You won't get a single response even if you ask her every question under the sky. She's probably dumb or something, so you shouldn't get too close to her or you'll become dumb too."

"Stop teasing her. She's suffering enough already," Those were the first words Yuri heard the girl speak, and they were enough to elicit a gasp from her. "Go away."

The memory of what had happened next would always remain fresh in Yuri's mind, and she doubted that she could forget it even if she wanted to. Masao, not willing to leave the two girls alone after what the newcomer said, had moved forward quickly and wrapped his hands around the rope of the swing in which Yuri sat, then gave it a sharp tug. The sudden increase in pressure caused the rope to give way, and Yuri had dropped onto the floor in surprise. The young Yuri then was speechless as she stared at the broken swing before her, shifting her eyes towards it and Masao, unsure what to do next.

"There. Stupid swing."

Those three words had caused a torrent of emotions to erupt within Yuri, and all the pent up frustration she felt demanded to be released at that moment. She remembered pouncing at Masao, pushing her fingers into his eyes, and kicking his torso as he fell to the floor. Her unexpected attack had caused the other children to look at her fearfully, and when the caretakers finally settled the situation, there had been some serious consideration on whether she should continue staying.

Yuri had not cared then what sort of decision they reached, but as fate would have it, the consensus between the caretakers was that Masao would be shifted to another orphanage instead. It turned out that Yuri wasn't the only one he had made fun of, and several of the other children had reported to the caretakers that Masao had bullied them as well. But Yuri's actions weren't excused either, and the caretakers decided that she should be adopted as soon as possible in order to prevent a reoccurrence of her violent behavior.

The swing was fixed the day after, and Yuri returned to her usual spot to find the newcomer already waiting for her. The girl constantly stuck with Yuri throughout her days after the incident, and more often than not spoke aloud and tried her best to convince Yuri to chat with her. Initially the conversations between them consisted of nothing more than Yuri answering with grunts and one word answers, but as her heart slowly opened to the girl, she started to speak in proper sentences. And then before Yuri realized it, both of them had become the best of friends, and were having animated discussions every other day as they sat on the swings.

"Hey, are you waiting for something?" the girl had asked Yuri this question one day as the two of them were relaxing in the summer breeze.

"Why do you ask?" Yuri had dodged the question with one of her own, not wanting to drag her past up if it was possible. She had already known the girl for a few months by then, and day by day Yuri's memory of her parents had gradually faded away, replaced by the bubbly expression of her friend's face, her short auburn hair swaying in the breeze.

"I don't know. It just looked like it," the girl had shrugged before continuing, "You know, I'm waiting for someone too."

"Who?" Yuri's curiosity had been piqued then, for she had never noticed her friend looking wistful once throughout all the time they had been together.

"My brother. We were together with our parents when our car crashed, you see. My brother and I managed to make our way out somehow, but I blacked out soon after that," the girl had looked pensive for a moment, but then quickly smiled to assure Yuri that she was alright. "I woke up in a hospital with minor injuries, and I heard that my brother was alright as well. He promised to get me, but I think the police got in the way, which is why he's taking so long. I did learn one thing from all of this though."

"What is it?" Yuri had been captivated by her friend's tale, and she had found herself wondering how the girl managed to stay so upbeat even though she should be worse off than Yuri herself.

"Seatbelts are awesome!" the girl giggled as she said this, and Yuri quickly understood what she meant, joining her friend in the laughter not too soon after. This particular memory of the two of them together as the wind carried their laughter into the air would remained etched inside Yuri's mind as well, for the next and last recollection she had was that of a tearful goodbye.

* * *

><p>Her turn to leave came only too soon for Yuri, and she found it difficult to break the news to her cheerful friend until her last day at the orphanage. When she finally did tell her friend about how her new foster parents were going to pick her up the next day, the girl fell ominously silent as the light in her eyes faded.<p>

"So you're going away too?" the girl had looked crestfallen, and this time Yuri couldn't spy any hint of a smile on her friend's face.

"Sorry," Yuri knew that her apology wasn't going to do anything, but her leaving was inevitable. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn't want you to get upset during the last few days we had together."

"Who's upset? You silly…" the girl looked away, and Yuri caught sight of a teardrop falling down onto the floor from her friend's face. "Look, if you're really leaving…then can you promise me something?"

"Go on."

"If…no, _when_ we meet again," the girl rubbed her eyes and turned back to look at Yuri, "Promise that you'll show me how awesome you've become."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Yuri didn't want to deny the girl her final request, but on the other hand she had no idea how she was supposed to fulfill the promise when the terms were so vague.

The girl moved forward and hugged Yuri, taking the latter by surprise. She returned to hug however, and this time clearly felt her friend sobbing as the two of them clung onto each other. "You looked pretty awesome when you took on Masao and won."

"Oh come on, that was so long ago," Yuri made to roll her eyes, but in her heart she was already determined to uphold her end of the promise. "You better make sure you show me how awesome you've become when I see you too."

"For sure," the girl pulled away her tearful face from Yuri, and then sniffed as she spoke again. "You know, I just realized that we never actually asked for each other's name despite how long we've been together."

"Hmm…I think you're right. We've been calling each other 'hey' for some time now," Yuri scratched her head, trying to recall the girl's name and coming up empty. "Well, I'll start. Yuri Sato. I'm half Russian, hence the foreign name. Hope you don't mind."

"Why would I?" the girl smiled genuinely this time. "Minako Arisato. And I'm one hundred percent Japanese."

* * *

><p>The rumble of thunder made Yuri return to reality, and she sighed as she stood up from the swing, the metal chains holding it up creaking as the weight it was supporting was lifted. It was only because of her promise to Minako that she had taken on all sorts of physical martial arts, and over the years she had become accustomed to beating the daylights out of anyone who offended her. She was thus infamous in her old school, and when she had transferred over to Pegutori High, Yuri tried her best to blend in by being as quiet as possible and minimizing her interaction with the other students.<p>

Her silence had worked for a while, but Yuri's instinct to punch every other annoying person who gave her an odd look due to her albinism was beginning to get overwhelming, and she was hardly able to contain it by the end of the first week. Getting a Persona was a good outlet for her to vent her frustration though, and Yuri made sure to sock her first opponent in the face multiple times to end the battle even before either one of them had the chance to use their Persona. Although the number of battles around the school had decreased drastically, Yuri still challenges people every other day in order to get a good workout.

That was the reason she had refused to accept Osamu's offer. It would be impossible to find a school that actually allowed her to thrash someone to near death anywhere else, and though her own life was also at risk during a battle, Yuri was confident that she could handle herself in any situation.

As she moved away from the playground, Yuri heard the gentle sound of lightly falling rain around her, and hastened her pace towards the nearby buildings which provided shelter. The student had barely made it past half of the playground before she ceased her movement, having sensed the presence of another person nearby. As she turned to her right, Yuri saw a human figure sitting on the stairs leading up to the slide. The features of the figure were indistinguishable under the darkness, and the streetlights were too far in the distance to be of any help. Simply looking at the silhouette of the figure allowed Yuri to confirm that the other party was a female however, and the student allowed her body to relax slightly as she dismissed thoughts of being assaulted from her head.

"Yuri…" the figure in the darkness called Yuri's name, and the student tensed up again as she realized that the person knew her somehow. Her voice was familiar, but Yuri couldn't manage to place who the figure was.

"Who are-" Yuri paused herself from speaking as she realized that she was using her feminine voice, and quickly altered her tone to a tougher sounding one. "Who the heck are you?"

The figure giggled as the rain around the two of them started to slowly increase in quantity, and this time Yuri felt the other party's eyes looking at her own as the latter spoke, "Brother never did come find me after you left."

"Brother?" Frowning, Yuri realized that she might have an inkling of who the person before her was. Lightning flashed for a brief moment as she stared hard at the figure's face, and though it was only momentary, a look of recognition appeared in Yuri's eyes as she saw what the girl before her looked like. Though now significantly more matured, there was no way she was going to forget the auburn hair that was always tied in a ponytail, and the cheerful pair of red eyes that had been with her throughout her days at the orphanage. "Minako?"

"Who else?" Minako Arisato shrugged, and Yuri brought her hands to her mouth in joy before running forward and hugging her friend.

"I never thought I'd see you again," Yuri realized that she was already tearing up, but even thought this was against her usual behavior, the student did not care. "After all this time-"

"Me neither," Minako spoke in a chirpy tone, pulling Yuri's arms away from her body. "Now tell me. How long has it been since you left little poor me all alone at that miserable little place?"

"What?" Yuri was stunned by the sudden verbal attack at her. She had been envisioning a happy reunion if the two of them had ever met again, but the situation seemed to be developing into something far from that. Something in the sentence Minako had just said gave Yuri a feeling that the former wasn't joking around.

"Surely you remember dumping me at the stupid orphanage when we were only ten?" Minako continued her accusations. "The two of us were having so much fun, and then _poof!_ You just up and vanished like that, didn't even bother to look back when you were being driven away."

"I _did_ look back," Yuri wasn't sure what had come over her friend, and the student was uncertain of how to respond to the situation. "But the car took off so quickly the instant I closed the door that before I could even position myself properly, it had already turned the corner."

"So then you _admit_ you didn't look back," Minako laughed, and Yuri was left feeling thoroughly confused. "It was a pity, because if you did, you'd have seen _this_."

A large humanoid shaped shadow materialized into sight from behind Minako, floating in the air as it looked down at Yuri silently. The student backed off from her friend instinctively, and at the same time she felt a blast of wind and dust as something heavy was brought down onto the very spot she had been standing in a second ago. There was a metallic noise as the object hit the floor, and Yuri managed to note that the object was in the shape of a heart through what little light there was in the area.

There was another flash of lightning in the distance, and Yuri took the opportunity to take in the sight of what the figure had used to attack her. The metallic sound she heard had been produced by what appeared to be a silver lyre, and the amount of force from which it had been brought down had been enough to embed half of the object into the sandy floor.

Shifting her eyes upwards, Yuri saw what appeared to be white prosthetic limbs linked to a golden metallic torso. Somehow, though it should have been impossible due to how the joints its four limbs were made completely of metal and showed no way of remote control whatsoever, the figure was flexing the fingers of its hands as Yuri stared at it. The illumination from the lightning disappeared as the student gasped, but even in the darkness she could make out that the figure had long hair that was wet with the rain, and a pair of softly glowing red eyes.

"That's…" Yuri knew that there was no possible way that the figure was human.

"A Persona, yep," Minako finished Yuri's sentence for her, and her Persona picked up its weapon from the floor, the lyre dripping with water as it was removed from the ground that was wet with rain. "Isn't this power just astounding? You can do whatever you want with it, and no one can even stop you."

"So you were chosen by the school to take part in the battles as well?"

"What're you talking about? I've had this power since I was born," Minako nodded as though to assure herself about what she had just said. "It's just that I was more…shall we say, naïve, back when I was younger. If I had known what would have happened to me then, I would have put down everyone around me while humming to the tune of a nursery rhyme."

"What are you talking about?" Yuri shook her head. She didn't even comprehend what her friend was saying any longer.

"Those people back at the lab told me that all I needed to unleash my Persona had been an emotional trigger. Apparently I was being too chipper about things, and you, the only person I had left inside that filthy orphanage, provided that final push to break me apart," Minako's head twitched slightly, and her Persona raised its weapon once more as it let loose a low incoherent growl. "So for that, _thank you very much_."

The prosthetic hand holding the lyre brought the instrument down once again, but this time Yuri was long ready for it. The student leapt to the side to avoid the blow, and then quickly lunged at her friend, bringing the two of them crashing onto the soaked floor. Pulling herself to her feet quickly, Yuri curled her fingers into a fist, bringing it to Minako's face and stopping a few inches short from impact as she saw what the latter was holding in her hands.

The reason for her stopping her attack was only partly because the student was unwilling to treat her only childhood friend roughly. Even in the darkness, there was no mistaking the distinctive outline of the gun that Minako had pointed at Yuri's chest. The white haired student's face contorted into a look of pure disbelief as she hissed, "Are you _insane_? The school will have you killed for trying something like this."

"Then it's a good thing I don't give a flying _fuck_ what the school thinks, don't you agree?" The revolver in Minako's hand shone dimly in the rain. "Now get your fist out of my face."

Gritting her teeth in aggravation, Yuri moved her hand away from Minako's face, and the latter stood up with a satisfactory smirk on her face. Minako's actions, from the unprovoked attack to her wielding a gun, perplexed Yuri thoroughly, and the student let the confusion show on her face as she looked at her once best friend from her childhood.

"Where did you even get something like that?" Yuri squinted at the weapon held in Minako's petite hands. "The rules stated that ranged weapons weren't allowed, and firearms are definitely forbidden. Using it on me is going to spell death for you."

"You don't want to know where I got this from. It should suffice for you to know that I properly repaid those who created this for me with what they deserved. A swift trip down to hell, where all those assholes belong," Minako chortled as she stepped away from Yuri and lowered the weapon. "As for your second statement, you don't have to worry about me using this thing on you. Let me show you: this thing was meant for _me_."

Minako positioned the long barrel of the revolver underneath her chin with a devilish smile as she finished her sentence, and Yuri could only look on in shock as the trigger of the gun was pulled. The student was sure that something had definitely been fired; the gun's recoil was huge, and Minako's arm had jerked downwards as a clinking sound was heard. Yet there was no bullet hole to be found anywhere in Minako's head, and instead of blood, a faint blue fog swirled around her as fragments of shattered glass floated upwards into the air before fading into nothingness.

Realizing that she had been played for a fool, Yuri stood up immediately, but as she lifted her head to face Minako once more, the student found herself freezing in terror at the sight before her. Where moments ago there was only a single humanoid figure behind her, Minako had now been joined by eight enormous serpent heads which glared at Yuri, each one gnashing their maws menacingly in the darkness as they let loose a piercing hiss which sounded deafening even in the rain. The serpents were not the only new addition; a fiery bird sat obediently on her shoulders, the glow from its flames illuminating Minako's face.

"Those are…" Yuri recognized the Personae before her as the ones she had seen earlier in the day at the hall. There was one noticeable difference in them though: their eyes all carried the same crimson glow which Minako's Persona had, and Yuri felt an odd sense of emptiness inside each of them as they stared at her.

"Orochi and Phoenix. Shuko and Katsumi served their purpose well," Minako grinned as she finished Yuri's sentence. "But the one I truly want to have isn't here…though I'm sure you are acquainted with him. The original owners of these two Personae were sent by me to hunt him, after all."

"You mean…Kazou?" Yuri recalled what Shuko and Katsumi had originally announced when they first entered the hall. "What would you want with him?"

"You probably weren't paying attention the other day when his Persona showed off to the whole school its prowess, so I don't blame you," Minako shrugged in the darkness. "It had enough power to cut down _lightning_. With a _katana_. I almost squealed in excitement when I saw that happen, and at that very instance I knew I absolutely _must_ add him to my collection, just like how I obtained the Persona of every other dead student in the school."

"Your collection…you mean you treat this all as a _game_?" Yuri's eyes jumped to the revolver Minako still held in her hands, and the student pointed an accusing weapon at the gun. "I don't know how you're able to have multiple Personas, but I'd wager that it's because of that thing, isn't it?"

"This thing?" The soft glow emanating from the Phoenix allowed Yuri to catch the somber expression on her friend's face as Minako stared downwards at the gun. The pupils in her eyes dilated for a moment as though she was thinking about something, and Minako let out a soft scream before tossing the weapon over to the humanoid shaped Persona, who held it tightly in its hands. "I don't even need to use that piece of shit. It's only used to scare idiots like you into surrendering. Otherwise, I won't even bother to keep such a macabre relic of my past around with me."

The Orochi's heads hanging over the girl started to thrash about violently, destroying the nearby trees as the rain around it turned heavier. Minako held a hand to her head as she groaned, and the Phoenix's flame died out as it disappeared. "Ooh, now you've done it, Yuri. And to think I've been stable for quite some time now too…"

"Stable?" Yuri tilted her head in uncertainty. "Minako…please, just tell me what's wrong. You weren't like this back then."

"It's none of your _damn_ business," Minako spoke with increasing agitation as the humanoid figure behind her let out a low mechanical growl from its torso. "I'll see you again soon, Yuri. And when I do, you can be sure I'll add your Persona to my little group as well."

A third flash of lightning lit up the skies, and this time the boom of thunder sounded almost instantaneously. Yuri caught another fleeting glimpse of Minako's face at that moment, and saw that the latter's face had been twisted into an ugly expression, with her lips curled backwards in a sneer. The red eyes that had once been so upbeat were glowering at the student with a predatory light inside of them, and as darkness overtook the surroundings once more, Yuri heard her friend of the past speak once more, only this time there was but a single word uttered. "Orpheus!"

Minako's Persona moved its hand swiftly behind her, bringing its hands across the heart shaped lyre it carried. A jarring noise filled the air as it drowned out every other sound around it, and Yuri found her hands moving to her ears automatically in a futile effort to soften the attack on her eardrums. Her vision exploded into colorful bursts of red and white, and the student dropped to the ground in pain as the sound continued to relentlessly assault her.

The grating noise finally ceased after what Yuri felt was an eternity, and the student found herself staring blankly at the spot which Minako had been standing at. Her clothes had been dirtied by the combination of grime and water picked up from coming into contact with the floor, and Yuri could still hear a ringing sound as an aftereffect of Orpheus's attack, yet the only thing the student could do was kneel at the very spot she was at as her mind tried to deny what had just happened. She sorely wanted the scene before her to just be a dream, but her fond memories of her childhood friend had been shattered in a matter of minutes, and the broken pieces seemed to be irrecoverable.

"Minako…what happened to you?"

Yuri's voice was soft and forlorn, and it went unheard as the wind howled around the playground. Around her, the rain continued to fall.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Yeah, so again, this chapter ended kinda early because it originally was supposed to be part of chapter 3. Still came out pretty long though, so we must thank Trace (again) for telling me not to merge this part together with the last chapter, otherwise I'd have a fifty-odd page chapter on my hands and all your retinas will burn out.(If they haven't already, I mean. Heh.)<strong>

**Anyway, regarding the part where Minako and Yuri met and them never calling each other's names despite knowing each other for over a couple of months…it's perfectly possible to have a good friend whom you never address by his/her name. I should know, since I have one such friend at school. We've known each other for over a year now, talk about random stuff everyday at school for almost the entirety of our timetable, and still haven't called each other by name more than five times or so. Our conversation usually began with "Hey", "You know", and so on. So yeah, I'm just making a point that having a relationship like that is completely possible. Uncommon, but achievable. Anyway, I gotta go work or something now. Again, forgive any typos you might have seen; me and Trace are only human. (And damn I'm tired from working.)**

**Peace out!**

**Trace: And now we have evil Shinji.**

**..**

**Shinjiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!**

**Aren't you guys eager to see Zak's and Yuri's Personas? I'm not.**

**Author's **_**Extra**_** Note: Trace only said that because he already knows what they are. I knew I shouldn't have allowed him to peek into the data files of those characters. Eff you Trace, eff you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: So, kind of a slow update for this chapter. Playing recently released games took up more time than I expected (and I still have more waiting to be played). I have to work on my MS word project as well (the one associated with my work attachment…thingy), so yes, don't expect updates anytime soon.**

**Anyway~, this chapter is slightly more focused on the environment (I'm not really good with these, but I'm trying), and also stuff to advance the plot. (This is the part Trace will say 'What plot?'. Yeah, I'm just writing this for the battles. That's why you're going to see a battle every chapter or so. The plot is a bonus.) I daresay the Minako arc should be wrapped up in roughly another chapter or so. It's also much more dialogue heavy compared to the previous chapters, but bear with me.**

**And now prepare for more canon breaking stuff, possibly even **_**more**_** than what I did in the last chapter. Because screw canon, this is a fan fiction! Thou hath been warned. In any case, I hope you guys enjoy the read~**

* * *

><p>Minako growled in irritation as she kicked open the door to her rented apartment, creating a loud bang that echoed around the corridor behind her. The first thing the student noted was a rank odor of decay invading her nostrils, and as she closed the door behind her, Minako made sure to inhale the pungent air multiple times. What would normally have caused other people to wrinkle their noses in disgust instead acted as a soothing catalyst for the student, and she would find it difficult to sleep in the night without taking a whiff of the smell of death.<p>

The entire room was in a complete mess, and Minako stepped into the apartment without taking off her shoes. Unwashed clothes were sown all over the place, and the remains of unfinished food stained the once white floor tiles. The garbage was not the only thing that contributed to the stickiness of the floor however, and if one looked closely enough, one could see disturbing red spots spread out unevenly around the floor.

Turning to face the source of the overpowering stench in the corner of the room, Minako tilted her head slightly as she gave a blank gaze at the object buried underneath a mountain of clothes. A rigid hand with long rotting flesh protruded out from the filth, the scratch marks its fingers left on the floor still visible. The limb was a grisly reminder to the student of the act she had committed, but Minako knew that her actions would never be questioned by anyone. Technically, she wasn't even considered alive, since her death has already been recorded years ago.

Reminded of why she was in her current circumstances, Minako felt a surge of wrath rising within her, and her hand reached into her pocket impulsively, gripping the handle of the gun she had used to threaten Yuri earlier. Her lips opening, the student brought the barrel of the firearm to her mouth, pulling the trigger without any signs of hesitation.

Orpheus materialized beside her in the blink of an eye, and the Persona brought its lyre down upon the stiff hand on the floor. The limb splattered into pieces upon impact with a squishy sound, and the blood inside of it splashed onto the wall. With a metallic creak, Orpheus removed its weapon from the crack it had created on the floor, and then hovered silently in midair as it looked at its user with its red-rimmed pupils.

"Good enough," Minako dismissed her Persona with a wave of her hand, and Orpheus bowed respectfully before vanishing into a blue fog. Picking up one of the pieces of the dismembered limb, the student sighed as she played with the gray flesh using her fingers. "You always were too curious for your own good. You could have prolonged your life by another week or so if you had simple ceased asking so many questions. I guess it doesn't matter though."

Minako's eyes looked towards the open wardrobe, where six sets of clothing were awaiting her usage. Just like the apartment itself, they were all 'on loan' from the owner whose skin the student was toying with. It was troublesome having to constantly shift from one location to another, but it was a lifestyle Minako had long gotten used to. Everyone she had met after her incident when she was removed from the orphanage has had their lives prematurely ended by her own hands. Everyone except for Yuri, that is.

The heavy stench of rotting flesh in the room had now become even more overpowering, and after a moment Minako flung the rotten flesh back into the pile where it was originally from. Being reminded of her failure to kill her albino childhood friend placed the student in a foul mood once again, and Minako kicked the pile of clothes aside as she made her way to the bathroom, hearing a dull thud as the corpse beneath them hit the wall.

Minako found herself mulling over why she had not slain Yuri there and then while the latter had been paralyzed by Orpheus's attack, but no matter how much she dwelled on the topic, the student kept coming to the same conclusion. Somehow, the appearance of Yuri had caused her to feel _sympathy_, an emotion she had not had a need for ever since she was officially declared dead. As she pushed open the orange door of the bathroom, Minako spoke to herself through clenched teeth, "Sympathy will get you nowhere in this world. And neither will kindness, or every other bloody emotion everyone deems 'good'. No…the only thing that matters here is _power._"

The calming light blue color of the bathroom tiles was a welcome sight to Minako, who quickly twisted the handle of the tap to allow hot water to flow into the bathtub. As the room filled with a thin mist, the student slowly undressed herself, and then came to a sudden stop as she realized that her hand was still holding on to the gun she had used earlier. Her face twisted into an expression of ferocity as she looked at the weapon, and Minako opened the door of the bathroom slightly before tossing the weapon outside and slamming the door shut.

"Soon I won't need to use you any longer," the student lowered herself into the bathtub, which was now filled to the brim. "Not with the _arsenal_ of Persona I have at my disposal."

The relaxing sensation of warm water against her skin was a wonderful feeling for the student, especially after she had been caught in the rain in her uniform. Her mind slowly drifted in and out of consciousness, her thoughts jumping from one topic to the next in the span of a few seconds. Just before she completely nodded off, Minako found herself thinking about Yuri once more. She wasn't pondering over the reason why she had been unable to kill the girl this time though; a dreadful grin made itself apparent on her face as Minako thought about how she was going to mutilate the student the next time they met.

* * *

><p>Minako's eyes reopened to see an unfamiliar ceiling before her, decorated with multiple weapons whose sharp edges were dangerously close to dropping on her head. The student staggered to her feet immediately, and the first thing she noticed was that she was wearing her school uniform. The thought that someone had dressed her whilst she was asleep caused Minako to curse softly, and although she kept her voice low, the room was silent enough to amplify her swearing several times over.<p>

The room she was now in was small, and Minako saw no immediate way out of the area, with the exception of a lone window which had been barricaded to prevent anyone from viewing through it. The choice of color used for the room itself was an oddity; blue and red intermingled with each other as though a mad painter had decided to publish his work by vandalizing the entire area.

Two beds were placed a meter or so apart from each other on both sides of the room, their light blue quilts stained a fresh red by the same paint which had been splashed on the walls. Weaponry of all sorts adorned the ceilings and walls, all of them having been thrust into the concrete one way or another. This made movement difficult for Minako, who had to bend her body and move carefully around to avoid dissecting herself while she explored the room.

On the far end of the room was a medical trolley with several sharp scalpels laid neatly on top of it. A crimson liquid could be seen dripping onto the floor from their edges, serving as irrefutable proof that the equipment had only just recently been used. The apparatus provided the student with enough clues as to where she was; she had been in a hospital years ago, right after the car accident had separated her brother from her had occurred.

As her face twisted into an expression of annoyance at having been reminded of her past once more, Minako noticed a mound of corpses beside the trolley, a loud buzzing sound emanating from the flies feasting on the rotting flesh. Each corpse was facing upwards, but strangely enough, the student could not make out any details of their faces. Instead, there was an enigmatic black shadow covering all of their facial features, and Minako could only make out the gender of each corpse by looking at their body build.

The sight of the scalpels and bodies caused Minako to cease her movement as a sudden thought hit her. Surveying the walls of the room once again, the student paid closer attention this time to what she had originally thought was red paint. Reaching out with her hand, Minako dabbed one of the parts of the wall not impaled by a weapon. The red color of the wall came off together with her finger, revealing the original velvet blue color underneath it. The student gave a curious look at the liquid staining her pale skin before bringing it to her lips, her tongue darting out as it licked the fluid off her finger.

"Blood?" Minako let out an amused giggle as she savored the taste inside her mouth. As she laughed, the student noticed the redness of the room seemingly increasing in intensity. The blood splashed all over the room appeared to swell for a moment, and at the same time Minako felt her head starting to throb. Her laughter turned into grunts of pain, and the student brought her hands to her forehead in a futile effort to stop the aching. The headache subsided just as quickly as it had come though, and as Minako's vision cleared, she noted that the overall color ratio of the room seemed to be favoring red this time.

"Now _this _is a most unusual sight," a high pitched voice sounded from behind Minako, and the student turned around to spot an odd looking old man seated on of the beds. "It's been a while since I've had a guest like you."

The man was dressed in a formal black suit and white gloves, his tie and white handkerchief sticking out of his front pocket giving him an appearance not unlike a butler. His impossibly elongated and crooked nose stuck out peculiarly from his face, and Minako would have mistaken the nose for a beak if the room she was in were to be darker. Below his long black eyebrows were two budging white eyeballs, both of which were bloodshot and provided the old man with an intimidating stare. His devilish grin caused Minako to feel strangely wary of the being before her, and despite the tuff of white hair behind his sharp elflike ears, something told the student that the old man before her wasn't anything his appearance suggested.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room…" The old man left his sentence hanging as he looked around the area with his bulbous eyes, "…is what I would normally say in any other situation, but it isn't very velvet now, is it?"

"No, it's all mostly a wonderful scarlet color," Minako found herself chewing on the same finger she had used to dab the blood off from the walls as she sized the old man up. The latter had definitely not been in the room when she took in the sight of it earlier, and there were no hiding places for him to conceal himself in either. Whilst part of her wanted to just grab one of the weapons off the walls and hack the man before her to pieces, Minako resisted the temptation, not wanting to attack until she has assessed the situation properly. "Where is this place anyway?"

"The Velvet Room is a place that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. Oh, but where are my manners?" the old man bowed respectfully as he smiled at Minako. "My name is Igor. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Mmhmm…interesting. So tell me Igor, how did I get here, and how do I go back?" Minako moved towards the old man as she spoke, her eyes settling on an axe lodged into the wall beside him. Already her mind was beginning to picture the anguish on Igor's face as his lengthy nose was cut off in one clean blow. There was something not right about the old man though, but Minako couldn't place her finger on exactly what it was that disturbed her so.

"Do not fret over how to leave this area; your real body is sleeping in the real world as we speak. I suppose you may call this a dream, if you so wish," Igor clasped his hands together, "But we shouldn't dawdle, for your time here draws short. Frankly, I do believe that we will not meet again after this encounter."

"Yeah, I believe so too. Want to know why?" Minako grinned as she positioned herself before Igor and gripped the handle of the axe on the wall tightly. Now that she knew it was nothing but a dream, the student felt no fear of being unable to leave the tiny hospital room. "Because I think you'll be dead in about _three seconds_."

Minako yanked on the axe as she said that, and as she expected, the weapon dislodged itself with the sudden pulling force exerted on it. While the student felt no malicious intention from Igor, her instincts told her that he could become a very threatening presence should he so choose. Rather than allowing herself to take the risk of Igor turning aggressive, the student opted to strike first, and brought the sharp edge of the axe down on Igor's nose.

The razor-sharp edge of the weapon flew downwards through the air, but never quite made it to its target. Igor lifted one of his hands in reaction to Minako's attack, and the movement of the axe came to a sudden halt as it made contact with the white gloves which nipped it tightly. Despite her best efforts, Minako found that she was unable to move the axe at all from Igor's iron grip, and scoffed indignantly as she let go of the weapon. The warning bells ringing in her head had been right: Igor was not one to be messed with.

"My dear guest, I do believe that you have believed wrongly," Igor lowered his hand and placed the axe aside, the sarcasm in his voice as clear as crystal. "I would recommend that you abstain from attempting something like that again, lest this _monstrosity_ of a Velvet Room gets distorted even further. Now then, we should move on to more pressing issues."

"Like _what_?" Knowing that she wouldn't be able to defeat Igor should the latter really decide to attack her, Minako reluctantly backed away, leaning against the bloodstained walls of the Velvet Room.

"Like those involving a certain guest I had a while back, of course," Seeing that Minako had given up all intentions of attacking him, Igor bended his body forward, and the air around him seemed to turn more sinister for a moment. "I understand that you already possess the power of Persona, and know how to harness it as well. Though I must say that your ways of obtaining new Personae are quite…barbaric, I do not have the rights to criticize your methods."

"There are _other_ ways of getting new Personae?" Minako had returned to nibbling on her finger once again as she conversed with Igor.

"Of course. You forge links with other people, befriend them, and as your relationship get stronger, so do new Personae make themselves available to you," Igor paused for a moment and closed his eyes thoughtfully before reopening them. "_However_, just as he is blue and you are red, so are your ideals the exact opposite of his. While he spent time building up and cherishing each bond he made, you relish in the destruction and removal of each connection of life. He gets stronger with each link he creates, but you get stronger with each one you see severed. His is the positive…and you are the negative."

"Bonds with people? Don't make me laugh. Where was anyone I knew when I was still back in that place being a lab rat? No one would have saved me if I haven't gotten out of it by my own power. Yes, your own power is the _only_ thing you can truly depend on," Minako snarled at Igor as she spoke. "And who is this _he_ you speak of? I'll show him how naive his way of thinking is."

"You'd be surprised," Igor chuckled. "This individual shared the same last name as you."

A thin trail of blood flowed down Minako's finger as her gnawing came to a halt, and the student twitched a little as she directed her gaze at Igor. "Brother?"

"Yes, your brother. That's the sole reason I am here today," The elderly man shifted his body, and his hunchbacked posture became even more evident with the movement. "To inform you of what happened to Minato Arisato."

* * *

><p>Minako awoke for real this time in the bathtub she had fallen asleep in, and as she recognized the familiar surroundings of the bathroom she had been using for the past week, the auburn haired girl let out a muffled scream of aggravation under the water. Igor's revelation of her brother's fate came as a complete shocker to Minako, and she hit the side of the bathtub in frustration as she recalled the last words the old man had said.<p>

_And now that you know the truth, what will you decide to do?_

"What will I decide to do?" Minako pulled herself out of the bathtub and started to dry herself with the towel hanging nearby. The lukewarm temperature of the water she had been in was enough to tell her that she hasn't been asleep for very long. As she wrapped the towel around herself, Minako found herself staring vacantly at her reflection in the misty mirror of the bathroom. "Yes, what _will_ I decide to do?"

* * *

><p>Learning of Minato's choice to become the Great Seal that prevented humanity from bringing upon themselves destruction would have been touching for any other person related to him, but not Minako. If anything, it sparked a new feeling of injustice inside her. Her entire life had fallen to pieces right after that fateful incident ten years ago, when their parents' car had crashed.<p>

Minako remembered everything clearly, from how she had waited patiently for her brother to ask for help after crawling away from the car, to witnessing the battle between two figures underneath the moonlit night. She remembers Minato standing before the two, presumably thinking that the two would somehow offer some sort of aid for two poor kids who were only just involved in an accident. One of the figures had done something to her brother then, something which Minako now understood was the sealing of 'Death' inside of him.

Rather than rushing out to help her brother, Minako was terrified when her brother collapsed on the road, and ended up running blindly for her life. She never even noticed how deserted the roads in the city were when she entered it, nor did her eyes register the upright coffins on the pavements. She did see something large and towering trailing after her whilst she fled, and although Minako did not realize it then, that figure following her had been Orpheus, her own Persona.

Running around in a city with a Persona floating behind you wasn't the best idea, but the younger Minako had been scared out of her wits, and unfortunately her unstable emotions caused Orpheus to go on a rampage. The destruction brought about by Minako's Persona caught the attention of a certain group of scientists, who instantly deployed armed personnel to subdue her. Taking Minako down and erasing all records of the destruction Orpheus caused took a while, but the scientists gained something of equal value in exchange: their first and youngest Persona user whom they had the freedom to experiment freely with.

After being treated in their private hospital, the scientists brought Minako to a specially built lab for experimental purposes, and altered all of her records to make it seem as though she had died in that unfortunate car crash. Along the way, the group noted that she had a brother who was involved in the accident as well. Minako consistently inquired about the fate of her brother, and the group told the truth although they did not know it at the time: Minato Arisato was alive and kicking. The scientists decided that it would be better not to waste resources searching for him however, as they already had Minako in their hands, and were anxious to see the powers of a Persona user.

Meanwhile, Minato awoke in a local hospital as an amnesiac, his memories of the life he had led before the accident completely blotted out. Although he managed to piece things together bit by bit by asking questions, Minato never recalled the exact events of that very night he had been chosen to carry Death inside of him. With nothing else telling him otherwise, Minato Arisato would go on to live his life thinking that his entire family had passed on during the accident.

Around the same period of time Minato was inside the hospital, Minako was being subjected to a series of light tests in the lab constructed for her. Despite the scientists' best efforts though, her Persona refused to materialize. Somehow, Minako had managed to convince herself that the night involving Orpheus running amok had been nothing but a bad dream, and that she had blacked out soon after the car crashed. Attributing her denial of the situation to her sudden loss of her family, the scientists concluded that she needed to feel despair once more in order to fully make use of her powers. It was easy enough for the group to give her a new name, and then place her into an orphanage, all the while keeping her under surveillance. The idea had been simple: they would allow her to make friends with others, and after a period of time, forcibly remove everyone she had known, either through death or other means.

As the group had expected, Minako made quick friends with most of the children in the orphanage, although she seemed incredibly attached to a lonely looking girl constantly sitting on a swing. After the group deemed that enough time had passed, they prepared to put an end to the orphanage, intending to set the place alight and make it appear like an accident.

As it turned out though, they needn't have worried. Orpheus materialized behind Minako soon after the girl she had grown so close to left her, and the scientist dispatched to get her reported the success of her Persona's awakening. Coaxing the emotionally unstable girl who was crying her eyes out to return to the lab with sugarcoated words worked easily enough, but this time the group showed far more cruelty in their experiments the instant they had Minako secured.

The experiments Minako were subjected to this time were all physically and mentally exhausting, but the scientists were completely apathetic to her cries for them to stop. By the end of the first week, she was lying on the floor in a complete stupor, her arms full of needle marks, and her thoughts clouded by the serums that they had injected her with. Whenever she refused to participate in any one of the tests they had set up for her, the scientists would resort to torturous means to coerce Minako into doing so, and more often than not it ended with her having a bone or two broken. Being injured was no excuse though, and if she resisted again, the group would add yet _another_ wound on top of her existing ones.

Eventually, after the end of the first month, Minako became nothing more than an empty shell, listening obediently to the scientists' commands day after day. The only thing allowing her to cling on to life were the empty promises that the group fed her, all of which involved her being allowed to return to her brother once they were finished with the experiments. It was all a blatant lie, of course, for the experiments on her would never cease. That is, until Minako put a stop to it herself.

* * *

><p>Time passed on for the girl imprisoned inside the lab, and gradually Minako lost all sense of day and night. Every morning she would get up and perform yet another set of rigorous tests, each one more challenging than the other, forcing her past her limits. Every night she would pray silently, hoping against hope that her brother would finally come in to rescue her. She would apologize sincerely for being a coward and running when Minato had collapsed and for being a useless little sister. Her prayers went unheard of course, and the experiments would continue to chip away at the girl's thoughts and body until she finally broke down.<p>

Slowly but surely the seasons passed, and an intense desire for revenge against her captors started to take root in Minako's once innocent heart. Her thought processes began to be filled with nothing but abhorrence against the scientists. Why were they doing this to her? Why couldn't she just be set free? Minako couldn't comprehend the answer by herself, and so posed the question to one of the scientists when he walked up to observe her.

"Power," the scientist had laughed as he said that, his form fully protected behind the reinforced glass that even Orpheus could not shatter. "We're doing it because we can."

_Power_. Her question suddenly seemed incredibly simple to answer with that one word, and Minako kept the reply of the scientist to heart. How she yearned to have a way to lash out at the group which had brought her life to shambles, to gain an ability which would bring the adults before her to their knees. How she desired to see the faces of the scientists as they were treated in the same manner as her, to have wound after wound inflicted on their bodies until they dropped motionless from the pain.

At that very moment, the girl felt something connect in her brain, as though a doorway to infinite possibilities had been opened. Her once shining eyes, now dull from a combination of lack of sleep and malnutrition, saw the scientists for what they were truly were.

_They are nothing but beasts that deserve a fate worse than death._

Her body, weakened and having been reduced to almost nothing but a bag of bones, pointed a single finger at the white coated adult before her, and the air around her around Minako seemed to come to a standstill as Orpheus was summoned.

_Kill them._

The scientist laughed mockingly as Orpheus beat against the glass time and time again with its lyre, the weapon hardly even making a dent despite the force behind the attacks.

_Power. I need more power._

An inhumane roar answered her plea as something black materialized around Minako, and the scientist's laughter ceased midway as a silver blade penetrated his body. The girl looked up towards the owner of the sword: a being of utter darkness, with the only defining feature Minako noted being the blade it held and the metallic head it possessed which resembled a monster's skull.

The glass which had been impervious to Orpheus's every assault split open as the new Persona sliced through it with the blade in its hands, and proceeded to thrash every bit of machinery which caught its eye. The sparks from its weapon and the destroyed equipment jumped to the stacks of paper on the table nearby, quickly setting the entire room ablaze. The other scientists entered the room moments after the fire broke out, having been drawn towards Minako's location by the noise. Each one froze in terror as they took in the sight of their dead colleague and the girl staggering towards them amidst the flames, a smile plastered on her face as her arms dangled by her sides.

_Kill them ALL._

Such was the overpowering presence of the new Personae in Minako's possession that not a single one of the scientists noticed Orpheus making its way near them until it was too late. The lyre in the Persona's hand moved thrice, and a head was crushed with each strike. Making her way around the lab and cutting down everything which moved, Minako left each room behind her in a bloodied mess, and with each kill her savageness showed itself even more. Eventually the white walls of the lab were colored red by the the blood of the scientists, their remains hanging on the walls like sick trophies.

The last scientist to die begged for her life, offering an object she called an Evoker to Minako in the hopes that the little bribe would be enough to save her from death. The object heavily resembled a gun, and the scientist explained that it was a prototype, meant for one to summon a Persona by shooting oneself in the head. Minako accepted the Evoker, but not because she wanted to use it. Rather, the girl saw the item as an adult's sign of submission to her, and the feeling of superiority she gained was seconded only by her recently awakened bloodlust.

Although she had yet to say a word, the scientist saw Minako's accepting of the gift as an agreement of allowing the former to live. As she ran through the door to freedom however, a silver blade plunged through the adult's back. Finally sensing nothing else to slaughter, the Persona of darkness let loose another roar before vanishing. Minako would go on to utilize the power of that particular Persona throughout her life, but at that moment in time, she was more interested in the door the scientist had attempted to run through.

As she stepped through it, a bright light pierced her eyes, and it took Minako a few minutes for her vision to adjust to the brightness of the area. It was then that she realized that the source of the glare was the sun, something which she had not seen for so long that she had barely any memories of it left. Directly in front of her was a road leading down to what appeared to be a city, and behind Minako the flames roared as it devoured the lab.

As the building behind her blew up in a final explosion, Minako made her way towards civilization. A warm breeze blew into her face, causing her lengthy hair that almost touched the floor to swirl around her. The gentle sensation was almost an enigma to her, and the girl giggled as she moved forward.

_She was free._

* * *

><p>Her past was something Minako avoided as much as possible, for the scars from the wounds she had suffered still hurt whenever she recalled her time spent in the laboratory. Quickly draping her clothes over the marks which were a haunting reminder of the torturous equipment the scientists had used on her, Minako emerged from the bathroom fully refreshed, and surveyed the murky surroundings of the apartment for a moment.<p>

As she directed her attention towards the corpse lying in the corner of the room, Minako's head twitched for a moment, and at the same time the Phoenix she had obtained from Katsumi appeared in the middle of the room. The bird radiated a warm aura from the flames on its body, and the heat gradually increased in intensity as Minako packed the necessary items she needed into a red bag. She stopped for a moment as her hands held on to the Evoker, debating with herself whether she should bring it along with her. Not wanting to waste too much time on thinking, Minako tossed the gun into her bag together with the rest of the items before stepping out of the apartment and snapping her fingers.

The room behind her erupted into flame at once, burning everything away in a beautiful pyre. Standing away at a safe distance, Minako watched the fire devouring everything it touched in the apartment. It was the same way she had dealt with every other place she had stayed in, and there were no exceptions. Although she had managed to escape and even kill the scientists who exploited her, Minako later discovered that the ones she had slain were but only a small part of a large organization dedicated to the power of Persona.

Over the years, she had managed to get a name out of those the organization had sent to kill her: a certain Kirijo Group had been the direct cause of her suffering. Torching the places she had stayed in previously not only helped in steering clear of the group's radar, and it had become a sort of habit after her escape from the lab. Although the ones she interrogated swore that the Kirijo Group had completely denied their involvement in her past, they were still sending hired killers to silence her. Even though the last attempt on her life had been well over a year ago, Minako didn't want to risk being careless. She had always been impeccable in dealing with those hired to take her life thus far after all; each one had always ended up missing.

Originally her intention had been to cripple and ultimately destroy the group who had destroyed her childhood; however, Igor's words had now caused Minako's priorities to take a drastic shift. Though she had finally obtained information regarding her brother, what Minato had done was something truly foolish in Minako's eyes. Her brother was protecting humanity, and in extension, protecting the ones who had harmed her as well. As her eyes reflected the orange color of the flickering flames, Minako swore to herself that she would avenge the injustice she had endured.

"So while I was on the run all these years, you never were once looking for me," The roar of the flames before her almost drowned out Minako's voice. "And to think you were the last hope I had left back in that place."

The lights of the surrounding neighborhood started to turn on as people began to notice the light and fumes given off by the fire, and Minako turned to leave. Even though she is effectively immune to the arm of the law due to her powers and the fact that she is considered deceased under official records, Minako hardly wanted any to garner any unwanted attention.

"But don't you see, brother dear? Humans are nothing more than ugly creatures at heart. And you think it was the right decision to _protect_ them?" The girl found herself starting to laugh as she walked off into the darkness. "You were right, Igor…_what I will decide to do, indeed._"

* * *

><p>The sun hung lazily in the horizon like as Kazou made his way up to the gates of Pegutori High once more, yawning and cussing silently in his heart at how early school hours had always been throughout his life. The past two days after the battle in the hall had been relatively uneventful, and it was something Kazou was thankful for, as he wanted the katana hanging by his hips to see as little use as possible.<p>

Although he had not caught sight of anyone in the drama club after the events at the start of the week, Thursday happened to be a meeting day for those in school clubs, and Kazou was certain that he would be able to find the others he had forged an alliance with soon after lessons ended. As he passed by the multiple trees near the entrances which were constantly shedding their leaves, Kazou saw Yuri sitting on one of the wooden benches near the faculty offices. The albino girl stood up and approached Kazou as soon as she noticed him, a fierce resolve burning in her eyes.

"Kazou…that's your name, right?" The rough and tomboyish tone Yuri was using was completely different from the melodic voice Kazou had heard when he met the girl two days ago. "Is that offer about joining forces still open?"

"Eh?" Kazou was caught off guard by Yuri's straightforwardness. The girl appeared to have undergone a complete personality change, and the nervousness she had shown previously was now absent. "I should think so. You'll have to ask Osamu at the club meeting later though, but I doubt he'd refuse."

Yuri simply nodded before making her way towards the staircases in the distance. As she passed by a group of students, the girl's shoulders started to slump, her eyes taking on a downcast appearance as they avoided all form of visual contact. Before Kazou knew it, Yuri had returned to her former appearance, looking once again like a quiet girl who zoned out quite constantly. It was quite a sight to see someone who had such beautiful female features like her behaving like a tomboy, but something told Kazou that what he had just seen was simply a glimpse into the true personality of Yuri.

"Oh, hell. What was I doing again?" Reminded of where he was by the school's loudly ringing bell, Kazou rummaged through his bag and took out a crumpled piece of paper. A rough scribble of his class timetable had been scrawled onto it, and as he looked at the first lesson of the day, Kazou rolled his eyes. "PE. _Great_. It just _had_ to be on the day I forgot my sports attire."

* * *

><p>Running on the open field of the school early in the morning without his sports attire wasn't Kazou's idea of a good time, but his class's sports teacher was hardly having any of his excuses. Kazou had thought that not having the attire would allow him to be excused, but he had not counted on the teacher having the stubbornness of a mule.<p>

"I already told you, having no attire isn't a valid reason," the teacher adjusted the blue cap he wore on his head as he spoke, hiding his youthful looking face from the sun's heat. His white polo shirt with the large word 'instructor' printed on it made the teacher look ridiculous in Kazou's eyes, and the student folded his arms in defiance as he held his ground. "Why are you still standing here? Join the rest of the class and get warmed up for the run."

"Look, I am a goddamn _Persona user_," Kazou kept his voice as low as possible, and in doing so stressed the importance on the last two words. Pulling this card was his last resort, and although Kazou wasn't proud of it, he was positive that it would at least get some response out of the headstrong teacher. "You should know pretty damn well what that means, right?"

"I don't care if you're the president or his son," the teacher, on the other hand, raised his voice just enough to catch the attention of Kazou's entire class as they mingled amongst each other. The portion of the field his classmates were in fell silent as all eyes focused on Kazou and the teacher who was yelling his lungs out at the student in front of him. "I'm not about to have one of my students die of a heart disease on me while I'm in charge!"

"We aren't even past the age of twenty yet, how can we have heart diseases-" Kazou held his tongue and looked away in annoyance. It was clear that the teacher wasn't about to let him have his way regardless of what he said. There wasn't anything he could truly do about it either; the rules of the school explicitly said that attempting to attack any figures of authority would end up badly for the attacker. "Someone's been reading the rulebook. Fine, I'll take part in the stupid run."

"Much better," the teacher gave a triumphant look at Kazou before shifting his gaze to the latter's katana. "And about that little prop of yours…I suggest that you put that aside. It might get in your way."

A sharp sound rang in the air as the blade Kazou held was removed from its scabbard in one swift motion, and the student pointed the weapon towards the teacher. A look of superiority appeared in Kazou's eyes as he admired the shine of the weapon reflecting the rays of the sun. "And I suggest you don't get in way over your head, if you know what's good for you."

Leaving the dumfounded teacher behind him, Kazou made his way towards his classmates as he sheathed the weapon. Their eyes were all focused on the blade hanging by his hips, and as inquiries started to rise about the weapon he had just threatened the teacher with, Kazou snorted in contempt.

"_Of course _it's just a prop from the drama club," Kazou looked towards the teacher as he said that, and smiled in satisfaction as he caught the glimpse of understanding appearing in the latter's eyes. "What else could it _possibly _be?"

* * *

><p>With his katana hanging at his side, Kazou's running speed was slowed down considerably, but the student took the chance to take in the sight of the field he was jogging in. The size of the area was humongous, and Kazou took a guess that it spanned well over the course of several kilometers, as even the tall walls barring exit out of the school vanished into the distance. The field was divided into multiple parts by white lines painted over the grass, and a different class occupied each area, hardly bothering with the other groups due to the distance between them.<p>

Kazou's class happened to have been selected to use the portion of the field closest to the building his classroom was in, and he jogged just outside the rim of the white line separating his class from another, slowly taking his time at sightseeing. His obstinate sports teacher was clearly infuriated by this, but though the anger flashed in his eyes, the teacher made no effort to reprimand Kazou for his actions.

As he turned around on the end of the field and prepared for the return trip, Kazou saw another structure almost hidden behind the main building. Recalling that there were several other buildings out the back of the school, Kazou made a decision to ask Osamu and the others about what they knew regarding that building after lessons ended.

Passing by the other classes on his jog back, Kazou noticed that he was constantly being looked at by students from the other classes. Most of the students turned away the instant his head looked towards them, but some continued to gaze at him until something cut off their eye contact. It was clear to Kazou that the ones who stared at him were Persona users, but the reason they looked at him wasn't because they wanted to issue a challenge. Rather, Kazou knew that it was because he had rarely stepped out of the classroom before, and his appearance on the field caused the users to glance at him in surprise.

Confining himself to the relative safety of his classroom everyday at school wasn't exactly the ideal solution to users who wanted to aggressively hunt him down, but so far Kazou had not been challenged in class yet, with the exception of his first battle in the school. As he observed the behavior of the other users in the field, Kazou found himself being surprised by how forthcoming they were to their classmates and even fellow users. It was apparent that he wasn't the only one to have forged a partnership with another user, and Kazou realized that the interactions of the other students truly reminded him of a normal school.

There didn't seem to be a single trace of hostility in any of the users he encountered, and more often than not they were helpful to everyone around them, or at the very least sociable enough with them. Their actions caused Kazou to consider his position for a moment; though he did have a group of users allied with him right now, how much does he really trust them?

He had not even stepped out of the classroom at all during the school's lunchtime, instead choosing to brood alone rather than take the risk of getting into an unfavorable situation with an aggressive user. Neither had he interacted with his classmates much, if at all. These actions were hardly fitting for someone like Kazou, who had put on such bravado before other Persona users to get them to join his side.

"Why am even I thinking about those things?" Kazou pulled himself away from the uncomfortable topic forming in his mind and started to pick up his pace. Somewhere deep inside the recesses of his mind, Raigura started to stir.

_**An empty heart, huh…**_

* * *

><p>The morning went by quickly, and soon Kazou found himself slouching on his classroom desk, impatiently waiting for the moment the bell for lunch would ring. The school uniform he was wearing was still slightly wet with the sweat from the morning run, and Kazou dreadfully wanted to go home and change into a fresh set of clothes. If he was still in one of his old schools Kazou would have headed back to his apartment without a second thought, but the councilors in Pegutori didn't appear to take kindly to truancy, if Gabriel's sudden visit to his house when he didn't turn up in class for merely one day was anything to go by.<p>

"Kazou?" Miss Yui's voice snapped Kazou to attention, and he sat up straight instantly. "It would really help us both if you ceased your daydreaming in class."

"My bad," Kazou looked to the floor as he felt the whole class's attention being focused on him. Thankfully though, the bell rang a few moments later, and the sound of chairs being shifted filled the air as the students in the classroom prepared to go for their lunch.

Kazou didn't as much as budge from his spot of course, and simply went into a more relaxed posture as he placed his legs on the desk. As he took out his mobile phone and started to fiddle around with it, Kazou saw Miss Yui still seated on her table, sorting out the multiple documents atop of it slowly. As the last of the students left the classroom, the teacher stood up and approached him.

"Need something?" Kazou kept his question as short as possible. During class he had managed to force himself to show a basic level of respect for the teacher, but for everything else in between Kazou wanted as little interaction with her as possible. Even though he though he knew the teacher's hands were tied regarding the possibility of her students dying at any point in time, Kazou still felt appalled at how Miss Yui didn't at least try to help any of them.

"It's not exactly my business to care about what you do with your free time, but don't you think you should try to go out of the classroom more often? It's not exactly healthy to coop yourself in here all the time."

"And you care because…?"

"Because no matter what, this is still a school, and you're still my student," Miss Yui spoke genuinely, "And as your teacher, it's my duty to care about your wellbeing."

"Well if only you can show some of your care to some of the students in this class who might be here one moment and dead the next," Kazou made sure not to sound angry as he said this, but it was clear from the look on the teacher's face that he had gotten his point across.

"That's unfair to me, Kazou," Miss Yui kept her voice low, but Kazou could easily hear how upset she was. "I already told you, they are always watching. If I try anything, it might be the last you ever see of me."

Miss Yui's last statement made Kazou look her in the eye as a thought manifested itself inside his mind. For a moment, he considered the possibility of the teachers being victims of the school as well. It wasn't impossible, for the teachers are very likely bound under the rules enforced on the students, though they were granted immunity to being challenged. Still, while Persona users couldn't directly attack them, there was always the risk of being killed by stray fire from Personae. And naturally, the danger of students who did not care about the rules was always present as well.

"Aha! I finally found where you were hiding yourself all this while," Reikio's voice called out from the front door of the classroom, causing both Kazou and his teacher to look in astonishment towards the newcomer. "You have no idea how hard it was to find one single classroom out of this ridiculously large building."

"Huh? I thought you already knew," Kazou recalled the blonde haired student slinking up to him while he was moving along the corridor two days earlier.

"What, you mean when we headed to the hall the other day? That was nothing but pure coincidence, K-boy. I happened to be stal- I mean following Gabriel around, but then I kind of lost sight of her. That was around the time I saw you walking like a zombie towards the hall."

"You were totally about to say 'stalking', weren't you?" Kazou grinned a little, causing Reikio to flinch visibly.

"No I wasn't," the student denied it flatly, although the expression in his eyes told otherwise. "And besides, I'm only here because Gabriel is."

"She's here?" Kazou looked around him in confusion, and suppressed a yelp as he suddenly saw the emerald eyed councilor behind him. "Shit, you could be a damn ninja with that level of sneakiness. What're you trying to do here?"

"Making sure your teacher here wasn't attempting anything," Gabriel's appearance seemed to cause a sudden increase of tension in the air of the classroom, and Kazou saw Miss Yui taking a step away from the councilor as the latter announced her reason for visiting. "_Is there a problem_, Yui?"

"N-no, of course there isn't. I'll be returning to the faculty office now," the teacher shrank away from Gabriel, grabbing her items on the desk before walking briskly out of the classroom. The fear evident in both Miss Yui's eyes and words strengthened Kazou's belief in the theory he had came up with moments earlier.

"So you've both the students _and_ the teachers under your thumb…" Kazou mumbled thoughtfully to himself. "Just what are all of you up to?"

"Did you say something?" Gabriel turned towards Kazou, studying the student's face intently as she narrowed her eyes. A beeping sound coming from her wrist caused the councilor to sigh as she switched her attention to the device producing the noise. "Hmm? It would appear that the shadow Persona user you met the other day just got challenged to a battle."

"Osamu?" Kazou stood up instantly.

"Wasn't he a pacifist?" Reikio cut into the conversation before the councilor could reply, having made his way to Kazou's desk from the front door. "How did he manage to get himself into another fight?"

"That's what I want to know too," Kazou looked towards Gabriel. "Take us to him."

"You are certain you don't wish to remain here like what you have been doing all this time?"

Kazou didn't know if the councilor was being sarcastic, but the fact that Gabriel knew exactly where he had been hiding himself was still creepy. Looking around his seat, the student thought about how he had indeed spent all of his free time in the classroom, minimizing his interaction with other people as much as possible. As he recalled how he had witnessed the other users being friendly with one another in the morning, Kazou decided that it wasn't time to hesitate, and shook his head in response to Gabriel's question.

"There's a first time for everything."

"Alright then," the councilor made her way past Reikio and prepared to walk out of the classroom. "The battle is currently taking place at the school cafeteria. I'll see the both of you there."

"Wait, _what?_" Kazou started to make his way towards the councilor, but Gabriel stepped out of the classroom before he was halfway through. Looking around the corridor and finding no sight of the councilor, Kazou let out a cry of annoyance as he realized that both he and Reikio had just been deserted.

"You'll get used to it soon enough," Reikio didn't seem bothered by the fact that he had just been ditched by the girl he was so smitten with, and instead walked coolly out of the classroom with his hands in his pockets. "Come on, we need to go check up on Osamu."

* * *

><p>As the two of them made their way down multiple flights of stairs, Kazou noticed that Reikio didn't seem to be in any rush to reach the cafeteria. The blond haired student's attention was focused on the cards in his hands, and for the first time Kazou noted that the cards Reikio was holding wasn't his usual poker card deck. Instead, it seemed to be a deck full of cards with complex designs and colors, none of which made sense to him.<p>

Reikio's walking pace had slowed down to a crawl compared to the speed which they had left the classroom at initially, and Kazou found himself starting to wonder what could possibly be more interesting than finding out how Osamu got himself involved in a battle. Reikio was constantly repeating the same action of drawing a card out from the deck after shuffling it, frowning, and then replacing the card before shuffling the deck once more.

"What are those cards for?" Kazou was finally unable to contain his curiosity as the two of them made their way across the large school foyer filled with students sitting around in benches and lounging around.

"These?" Reikio held up a card for Kazou to see, and the latter saw what appeared to be an oddly dressed human strolling near a seaside cliff with a dog close to his heels. The human in the picture was dangerously close to falling into the sea, as one of his feet was already lifted up and appeared to be hanging precariously over the edge of the cliff. Despite his situation though, the human's mouth was open in a static portrayal of laughter, and Kazou noted the two words printed near the bottom of the card: The Fool.

"The heck is that? Is he trying to walk over the sea or something?" Kazou raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, although he couldn't help but think that the human pictured truly was a fool for laughing even in the face of death.

"I don't know either, to be honest. I just scammed a fortune teller out of these the other day, and it didn't come with instructions. It was pretty funny how Loki totally caused the fortune teller to go bonkers near the end and made him ran off screaming that I was a devil in disguise," Reikio chuckled a little at the memory before turning serious once more. "The guy said they were tarot cards. Major Arcanas or something. Thing is, I really think that these cards actually _have_ something supernatural about them. See, I've been trying to draw a different card from this deck without cheating my way through, and each damn time _this _card comes up."

As if to demonstrate, Reikio shuffled the deck at a great speed, causing the cards to appear to be a blur as they were mixed up. When the student finally stopped, he drew the top card of the deck, and just like he had said, Kazou saw the same card Reikio had shown him moments earlier.

"You sure Loki isn't playing around with you?" Kazou felt a wisp of cold air envelop him as he said that.

"Careful there. Loki doesn't take kindly to insults," Reikio looked at the card in his hand in frustration before returning it to the deck. "Though I have to admit, that was what I originally thought at first too. Loki's hands are clean though, I can guarantee you that."

"Lend me those," Kazou took the cards from Reikio's hands as the latter offered them, and observed the different portraits printed on each one. There were twenty-two in total, and as he looked through all of them, the student finally recalled why the word 'Arcana' sounded so familiar to him. "The email I received when my Persona awakened last week…it said something about Arcanas as well."

"Now that you mention it, I think I remember reading that different Personae might be classified under different Arcanas," Reikio folded his arms thoughtfully and ceased all movement for a moment. "If mine is The Fool, then it's not hard to see why. Loki and I both have a tenancy to fool around a lot. But if that's the case…then what's yours?"

Kazou glanced silently at Reikio before returning the deck to the latter. The blond haired student smiled mischievously as he shuffled the tarot cards, and then tossed the deck into the air, causing the cards to scatter all over the corridor. Kazou held out his hand and watched as one of the cards in the air fluttered into his palm while the others completely fell short of even touching his body.

Flipping the card over, Kazou looked at the picture depicted on it with an amused expression. A woman donning angelic white robes and sporting two feathery wings behind her back was smiling saintly at a group of people looking up to her as she floated in the air with a trumpet held close to her chest. The background of the image was a mixture of white and blue, and Kazou found himself questioning whether the colors were representing the sky, an ocean, or even glaciers in the distance. Below the picture, the word 'Judgment' was embossed in bold black letters.

"Huh. Now I could understand the picture of The Fool, but really, what the heck is _this_ supposed to represent?" Reikio sounded perplexed as Kazou showed him the card that had made its way into his hands.

"Beats me," Kazou gave the tarot card portraying the Judgment Arcana one last look before letting it drop to the floor. "We shouldn't dawdle so much. Let's go."

"Damn, whoever's in charge of cleaning the school must be pretty pissed, having to pick up random cards that just seem to pop up all over the place," Reikio started to grin, but the loud sound of metal clanking on the floor caused the student to turn his attention towards the area in front of them. The amount of students around him and Kazou had thinned out a little as they conversed, and the ones remaining near them were keeping their distance from the origin of the sound that Reikio had heard. "It looks like we've reached our destination."

The two of them started to make their way past the panicking students running away from the cafeteria in terror, and due to the hysteria around them, neither one noticed the presence of a third student tailing them from further behind.

* * *

><p>Minako Arisato walked up to where Kazou and Reikio had been discussing the tarot cards mere moments before, picking up two of them from the floor. The cards' backs were facing upwards, and as she flipped the cards around, Minako looked at both of them in vacantly. She was holding both of them upside down, and after a silent moment of contemplation, the student chucked the two cards back onto the floor facedown once more.<p>

As she carefully approached the cafeteria, Minako failed to notice the breeze blowing into the foyer, causing both of the cards she had picked up to turn over. The first contained the picture of a wheel with animals dressed in drastically different clothing moving around it. Whereas one had a wealthy looking suit, another had nothing but tattered robes to cling on to. Each one of the animals, regardless of their dress code, was looking nervously towards the center of the wheel, each one clearly aware of the fact that their destiny may be changed at any moment. The word 'Fortune' printed onto the blank space below the picture represented the illustration perfectly, for in the blink of an eye a beggar could become a millionaire, if lady luck would but offer her hand in assistance.

The other card possessed a much more ominous picture in the form of a skeletal figure clad in dark robes brandishing its scythe before a myriad of humans. The weapon appeared like a white beacon in the image, a sharp contrast to the darkness that had enveloped the sky. Riding atop its steed which glowered at the dying mortals before it, the reaper-like figure put forth a frightening appearance, and printed underneath it was a single word which humans avoided talking about as much as possible. The ending of a cycle, and the final conclusion for all living things: 'Death'.

* * *

><p>The cafeteria had an incredibly large variety of foods to offer, and the first thing Kazou noticed when he stepped onto the orange tiles was the distinct smell of delicious food wafting through the air. The second thing the student noticed was that compared to the absurd amount of panic caused by appearance of the Orochi in the hall, the number of students running amok in the cafeteria was much fewer.<p>

Kazou attributed the reduced amount of chaos to a number of different factors. The canteen was large enough to easily accommodate at least three quarters of the school's many students, and the sheer size of the area allowed curious non-users to observe the battle from a safe distance. There didn't appear to be any giant monsters wrecking havoc around either, and allowed Kazou to conclude that the Persona Osamu was facing wasn't very large.

Finally breaking free from the wide circle the non-users had formed around the area of battle, Kazou spotted the black haired student looking solemnly at his opponent. Nagachi was standing a few feet behind Osamu with his arms folded, a scowl affixed on his face, suggesting what he thought of the battle that had taken place before him. Osamu's opponent, a skinny male student with almond shaped eyes and wavy brown hair, was scratching away at the plaster on his face as he looked up at the former with both his knees on the floor.

Behind the student was his Persona, a fierce looking muscular humanoid figure with bright red skin. The creature was gnashing its sharp teeth in a hideous display of anger as it struggled to stand up, the horn on its head wobbling slightly as its head trembled in rage. The blue clothing it wore had been completely battered to pieces, and its brawny torso heaved as the Persona narrowed its eyes at a large club of iron several meters away from it.

Kazou suspected that the weapon dropping on the floor was what had caused the metallic sound he and Reikio had heard earlier. Although the red skinned demon seemed only too eager to reach out and grab its club, a darker version of itself was positioned behind the Persona, with a shadowy version of the club ready to swing in its hands.

"Huh, I wasn't expecting to see any sane people still remain around the site of a battle. What's going on around here?" Reikio looked towards a group of non-users watching the Persona before them as he asked the question out loud.

"That _thing_ appeared out of nowhere and started to thrash the canteen," one of the students answered the question. "And then that guy wearing sunglasses walked up to the beast and started pummeling it down with a monster of his own."

"What, none of you are afraid of that thing turning on you?" Reikio sounded skeptical as he questioned the student again.

"We're staying as far as we possibly could," the student replied. "But then those two started to take each other on in a battle, and a brawl between Oni is definitely something you don't want to miss."

"Oni? You mean those those monsters mentioned in Japanese lore?" Kazou muttered under his breath as he looked at the Persona that Doppelganger had restrained. It was easy to see the Oni being a fearsome creature with the brute strength it had contained within its beefy arms, but raw muscle would never be able defeat something intangible like shadow. "I guess seeing a creature from your own country's folklore _is_ kind of attention grabbing…"

"If they keep thinking like this, none of them will survive an encounter from someone with a dragon Persona," Reikio shrugged as he turned to face Kazou. "Come on, let's go over and ask Osamu exactly what happened."

Nodding, Kazou strode boldly towards Osamu and Nagachi, Reikio a few steps behind him. As they moved, Kazou noted that although a battle had definitely taken place in the cafeteria, the destruction done to the environment was minimal, with only a few gray benches and tables overturned near where the Oni was. Osamu clearly had the entire situation under his control the entire time, which was another reason not all the non-users had fled from the area. As the two of them drew closer, Kazou overheard what Osamu said to the student before him.

"Please don't try that stunt with your Persona again. I don't think you're able to take one more hit," Osamu sighed as he squatted down and brought himself to eye level with his kneeling opponent. "Look, you already managed to break your own feet. I'm not going to harm you any more than that unless you bring it upon yourself. Just tell me, who is it that sent you after me?"

"Osamu, just give it up. This interrogation is pointless; he's obviously nothing but a mere goon with a thick skull," Nagachi rolled his eyes as he realized that his friend hardly seemed to have even registered what he just said. Noticing Kazou and Reikio approaching them, the student folded his arms and took on an aloof expression. "Well, look who decided to turn up. Humph, maybe the two of you can convince Osamu over here to let go of his delusions."

"What delusions?" Kazou shifted his glance from Nagachi to Osamu, who was still trying to get his opponent to speak up without success.

"He's convinced that there's someone forcing these guys to get into a battle with us." Nagachi shook his head in vexation as he looked at his friend once again. "Look, Osamu, I'm telling you it's futile. You are not going to get a single word out of this guy."

"I don't get it," Reikio frowned as he took out a pack of poker cards and tossed the joker card in front of Osamu, drawing the latter's attention. "What made you think that in the first place?"

Osamu sighed as he stepped away from the wavy haired student and turned towards the three behind him. "Surely you remember Katsumi requesting to challenge Kazou and Kazou alone when she appeared back then? Didn't it appear odd to any of you that she knew exactly who she wanted to pick a fight with?"

"Yeah," Kazou nodded in response. "I don't remember being this famous in the school."

"Well, all of you were pretty far away from me when I fought with her, so you might not have heard what Katsumi said. At first she mentioned something about her only having one chance, and then right before she…departed…this world, Katsumi said something about someone getting her even if she lived through that day," Osamu winced visibly as he recalled the memories of his battle with the Phoenix user, the heavy burden of guilt making itself apparent on his face. "I want to know the identity of the person she spoke of, and I'm convinced this guy knows the answer. He barged into the cafeteria literally screaming my name and demanding a challenge in a fashion all too similar to Katsumi."

"And you're certain he knows something about this mystery person because…?" Reikio looked suspiciously at Osamu's opponent, who had been remaining motionless all this time.

"He's definitely hiding something. Any normal person under these circumstances would have at least said something about not knowing what I was talking about. This guy hasn't as much as uttered a word, if you don't count the curses that flew out of his mouth earlier," Osamu turned towards the student once again as he started to continue his questioning. "Come on, staying silent is just going to prolong this for the both of us. Just help me to confirm whether there's really someone behind all of this."

Kazou saw the skinny student giving a sideways glance at his Persona, and the Oni he controlled let loose an intimidating roar before it pounded the ground, causing the floor tiles around it to shatter into loose pieces. Doppelganger was momentarily stunned by the movement, but quickly collected itself and swung the club of darkness it held at its opponent. Rather than avoiding it however, the Oni snarled as it wound back its left fist and met the attack of its mirror image head on.

A howl of pain was emitted by the Oni's user as the Persona's powerful fist clashed with the ghostly club, and the spine tingling sound of bones breaking was heard. Kazou saw the student's left hand twist in an awkward angle as the latter fell to the floor. The Oni's left hand went limp as well, and the monstrous being supported itself on its other hand, the only limb it had remaining that wasn't broken or damaged in some form.

"_What the hell!"_ Osamu's voice was a mixture of confusion and surprise as he looked at his fallen opponent. Bending down, the gray eyed student inspected the damage the Oni's user had taken, and let out a sigh of relief as he decided that it wasn't immediately life threatening. "_Damn it, _don't you dare do what Katsumi did. You were lucky I told Doppelganger not to aim at any vital areas."

"_Lucky?_" the wavy haired student finally spoke as he looked at Osamu. "I was trying not to die by _her_ hands, and you would rob me of even that chance?"

"Her?" Osamu repeated the word, and then narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses as he looked around the area. There were at least a hundred spectators forming a circle as they looked at the battle, but not one looked conspicuous at all to the student. "_Who_? Who's the one?"

"Don't you see it? _It's coming for me!"_ Osamu's opponent let out a bitter laugh as he pushed the student away. The chuckling quickly degenerated into grunts of pain as a red liquid started to leak out of his eyes. Clutching at his head, the student rolled about on the floor for a moment before his mouth opened, presumably to let out a scream of anguish. The sound never left him though, and a moment of silent overtook the cafeteria before the student imploded into a fine red mist. At the same time, the Oni let out a weak growl before it disappeared completely from sight.

"Holy shit," Reikio cursed impulsively at the sudden development of the situation, stepping backwards as he rubbed off some of the blood that had splattered onto him. Nagachi reacted in the same manner, a look of annoyance replacing the scowl on his face as he realized that his friend's theory might be correct.

Osamu looked the worst out of the four, having been standing in front of his opponent when the latter became nothing but mush. Looking at the blood on his clothing and body, the student let out a remorseful groan as he clenched his fists. "This was…my fault…I shouldn't have pressured him…_dammit!_"

Kazou could only place a supportive hand on Osamu's shoulder as the latter expressed his regret over the situation. He wasn't sure what to make of the sudden twist of events, but Osamu's theory suddenly didn't sound so farfetched to him. Feeling a sudden daft of wind behind him, Kazou turned his head slightly, catching sight of Raigura's silhouette in the process. The Persona was staring off into the distance at something, but although Kazou followed the swordsman's gaze, he saw nothing but panicking students dispersing from the cafeteria.

"**So **_**that's**_** how it is,"** Raigura blinked slowly as he turned to face Kazou, and the student noticed that the swordsman's golden pupils had the glint of someone who had just obtained new knowledge. **"Death is on the cards today, Kazou. Watch your back."**

The swordsman vanished as quickly as he had appeared, and Kazou was left to ponder over the meaning of his Persona's words. As the realization of what had just happened sunk into the minds of the students surrounding the cafeteria, the area started to break out into pandemonium, and the first of many screams pierced the gloomy air.

* * *

><p>Despite the chaos around her, Minako walked calmly away from the cafeteria, a contented grin forming on her face as she recalled the expressions of the four who had been confronting her pawn before he died. The death of the student she had sent after Osamu was a necessary one, for Minako never had any intentions of allowing anyone she sent after another student to live. She did omit one person from this fate however, and it was this particular person that the student called as she whipped out her red mobile phone.<p>

"What do you want?" The voice on the other end of the line was that of a young male's, and the owner of the voice didn't bother to hide the fact that he wasn't pleased by the call.

"Your assistance once more," Minako licked her lips. She had originally wanted to take her time around the school gathering the required Personae, but the recent events had caused the student to shift her plans forward. "This afternoon, you're going to increase my luck a _hundredfold_."

"Are you _crazy_? I almost got caught the other day-"

"Do you need me to refresh your memory on what I'll do to you if you don't listen to me?" Minako snapped into the phone.

There was a brief moment of silence before the student heard the other party mumble a curse in frustration. "Fine, you'll have your way. Anything else you want to add in?"

"Don't get involved in any battles for today."

"As if I am _ever_ involved in any battles at all."

There was a click as Minako ended the call, and as the student continued to make her way to the main block of the school, she considered ending the life of the person she had just spoke to as well. "His use is coming to an end…a pawn is nothing but a pawn in the end, after all."

As she skipped her way towards the school's main building, Minako took a quick glimpse at the mayhem she had caused behind her. In the midst of the non-users running about, the student saw the emerald eyes of Gabriel observing her. The councilor had her head slightly tilted to the side as she gazed at Minako, but did not move from the spot which she stood at.

"Look all you want," Minako muttered under her breath as she giggled. She was confident that she wouldn't be stopped, mainly because there was no way the councilor could pinpoint her to be the prime suspect of the incident in the cafeteria. Though the councilors of the school were sharp, there was nothing even the best detective in the world could do if the criminal they were attempting to catch left absolutely no evidence behind. "Right after I get Kazou, I'm coming after all of you next."

* * *

><p>The events of the day had left Kazou feeling completely bewildered, and the student's attention in class was even more nonexistent than it usually was as he tapped his foot impatiently, preparing to make his way out of the class the instant the bell rang. He had agreed with the other three with him during lunch to meet up at the hall immediately after classes ended, and the questions burning within Kazou's mind regarding the situation were starting to get unbearable.<p>

To make matters worse, Kazou had a strange feeling that something wasn't right ever since he left the cafeteria. An unusual feeling of dread had been coursing through his mind ever since lunch had ended, and the sensation had only gotten stronger as the hours went by. Almost as if that wasn't enough, Kazou's heart had been palpitating wildly for the past hour. It was as though something primordial inside of the student was warning him of an imminent disaster.

Still unable to get Osamu's depressed expression out of his head, Kazou burst out of the classroom as soon as the teacher gave the class the all clear sign to leave. Reikio was already leaning against the wall of the corridor outside the classroom with a grave expression, and silently joined Kazou as the latter moved swiftly towards the place where he had almost been challenged to a battle two days ago.

As he pushed the doors leading to the spacious main hall of the school open, Kazou drew in a sharp breath. Despite it being his second time seeing the area, the student still felt overwhelmed by how enormous it was. There were considerably fewer students inside the hall as compared to the other day, and the wide empty spaces made the area feel even larger than before to Kazou.

The only people in the area were the students who had arrived early for their club meetings, each of them seated together in groups as they spoke amongst themselves. Near the center of the hall, both Osamu and Nagachi were waiting with a solemn expression on their faces. Not wanting to keep either one waiting, both Kazou and Reikio swiftly made their way towards the two.

As he moved however, Kazou felt the odd unease inside his heart intensify, and his body shivered as a chill went through it. The student stopped moving and looked around the hall for a moment as the feeling of dread he had carried with him for the past few hours assaulted his senses.

"You okay?" Reikio's voice sounded distant to Kazou.

"Yeah, it's just that - never mind. Let's go," Kazou felt another chill go through him as he spoke. He saw nothing that he could perceive as a threat, but the terror that was gripping his heart did not fade. If anything, it was beginning to get even stronger.

* * *

><p>Minako stopped in front the sports hall of the school as she looked through the transparent glass doors leading into the area. It had been easy for her to find out where Kazou was, for the student merely followed the trail of 'death' that she had planted on her target. Minako was sure that Kazou could feel the coldness beginning to wrap itself around his soul, but although she could end it right there and then, the student didn't want to deprive herself of the enjoyment she obtained from watching her targets dying a slow and miserable death.<p>

The rims of her eye pupils glowed with a crimson light, and Minako took in a deep breath as she felt strength flowing through her body. After burning down the apartment she had temporarily stayed in, the student had spent the past two days sleeping outside, and the uncomfortable environment had worn her out. Each time a new Persona was added to her arsenal however, the student would find herself fully revitalized. Her newest addition had quite a bit of physical prowess, but the Oni was still considered weak when put in comparison to her main Persona. Regardless, the demon gave Minako the energy that she needed to prepare for her battle, and the student started to giggle hysterically as she pictured the upcoming fight.

"What the heck is so funny?"

"You're early," Minako did not even bother to shift her gaze away from the students she was watching as she replied to the familiar male voice that had questioned her. "I still want to prolong Kazou's misery for a while longer."

"You're one frigging sadistic bitch," the male sighed as he pushed the doors to the hall open, and then paused momentarily as his brown eyes looked towards Minako. "A hundred fold, correct?"

The auburn haired girl nodded and watched silently as the male sighed once more before entering the hall. Placing her hands on the glass doors as they closed, Minako grinned at her pawn as he scratched his copper hair in frustration. "Aww, cheer up…_your suffering will be over before you even know it_."

* * *

><p>"You two sure took a while," Nagachi snorted in irritation as he addressed both Kazou and Reikio.<p>

"Honestly, I think we made it here in record time, considering how absurdly large the school is," Reikio countered as he clicked his tongue before turning his head towards Osamu. "You okay now?"

"It's better now, but thanks for worrying," Osamu smiled weakly, but Kazou recognized the expression as the same one he had seen on Monday when Katsumi died. "So we're just missing Zak now, right?"

"And Yuri," Kazou looked at the three pairs of confused eyes staring at him before quickly explaining, "She said to me this morning that she wanted to join us too."

As he finished his sentence, Kazou felt another chill creep through every bone of his body. Every fiber of the student seemed to be screaming at him to run from something, and yet no matter how much he looked around, Kazou saw nothing that could have triggered the feeling. There wasn't an immediate threat that he could identify, and the student could only grit his teeth in discomfort as he scoured the hall, looking out for any signs that might point towards whatever was causing this feeling to him.

Having not entered the hall for two days consecutively, Kazou felt some surprise as he realized that the flooring of the area was now as flawless as it was before the battle with the Orochi and Phoenix had taken place. The giant snake had tore up chunks of the metal reinforced flooring easily the last Kazou remembered, and the immortal bird of flame had left more than a few spots in the hall blackened by the scorching flames it spewed. Yet none of the defects caused by the maws of the Orochi or the fire of the Phoenix now remained in the area.

The entire hall was so unblemished in fact, that no one would have suspected that a brutal battle had taken place in it two days prior. The floor itself shone with a gleam like it was newly made, and Kazou occupied his mind with questions over how the area had been fixed so quickly without anyone knowing. As usual though, the student came up blank, in the same fashion that he had been unable to explain Raphael's healing and Gabriel's apparent teleportation abilities.

"I don't like this," Nagachi grumbled as he folded his arms, his words cutting into Kazou's train of thought. "The longer we stand here, the more we're sitting ducks for any Persona users that mystery person sends after us."

"I guess all we can do is wait," Osamu cupped his hands together as he breathed into them, "Is it just me, or is it getting _cold_ in here?"

Kazou looked towards the rest of the group as he heard Osamu's remark, considering whether to ask them if any one of them could feel the unexplainable terror that was seeping through him. Before he could open his mouth however, another voice spoke out from further away.

"Afternoon, guys," Zak hollered in an enthusiastic way as he approached the four, and it was only upon joining them that the youth noticed the solemn air about them. "Huh? Why's everyone so quiet? Did I miss anything?"

"Just a battle during lunchtime," Reikio gave a quick glance to Osamu's uniform as he spoke, the clothing still slightly tinged red by the blood that had been splattered onto it. "Shit, I'm never getting the image of that dude combusting before me out of my head."

As Reikio finished his sentence, an influx of students started to enter the hall from the multiple entrances. Cringing at both the feeling of dread attacking him and the fact that their chances of being challenged by a hostile Persona user had just skyrocketed, Kazou quivered once more as yet another icy wind blew in his direction. Thankfully though, the albino girl the group was waiting for showed up together with the rest of the students that flooded into the hall.

"Huh?" Zak looked at Yuri with an astonished expression as the latter joined them. "I thought she wasn't a part of our team?"

"I am now," Yuri didn't seem amused by Zak's question, and her pink eyes glared at the youth as she spoke. "Got any issues with that?"

With the exception of Kazou, the rest of the group was left speechless by Yuri's contradicting behavior as compared to when they last saw her. Osamu collected himself quickly though, and cleared his throat as he answered Yuri's question in Zak's place. "Of course not. We'd be more than happy to have another person helping us out."

Looking around them, Osamu beckoned the teacher that was in charge of the drama club over and asked for permission to leave the hall.

"All of you can do whatever the hell it is you want as long as you don't pull another giant monster rampage like what happened in the hall the other day," the teacher waved the group off the instant he took one look at Osamu's bloodstained clothing. "These club activities are only official in name, after all."

"Alright then," Reikio looked at the teacher and nodded his head. "Since you put like that, then screw the club I joined on Monday. They probably don't care about Persona users either."

The teacher merely shook his head at Reikio's remark before returning to the non-users in the drama club. Osamu rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment before snapping his fingers, catching the attention of the five Persona users around him. "Okay, follow me."

All six of them made their way towards one of the many glass doors leading out of the hall, and as Osamu pushed the doors open, Kazou felt the warmth of the sun's rays washing over him. The coldness that had been consistently assailing him vanished, and the relief that the student felt was akin to that of a small child finally having found a source of light inside a room of darkness.

The group was in a part of the school that Kazou had no knowledge of, having never went exploring at all during lunch breaks. The door they had passed through was completely opposite the one he and Reikio had used to enter the hall earlier though, and Kazou assumed that they were heading towards the back of the school. Directly ahead of them was a vast variety of outlandish foliage, and to either one of their sides, slightly obstructed by the flora, was a tall building standing in the distance.

The building to his right resembled the main school building in structure, although there was a clock that had been built at its tallest point. The tips of the building reached towards the skies like sharp fingers, and the black color scheme used for it gave the structure an extremely intimidating look. The building was quite sizable as well, and Kazou suspected that it was easily on par in size with the main school building.

The other structure to Kazou's left was the smallest one he had seen yet, although it still dwarfed all of the main buildings of the other schools that the student had been in. The architecture of the place bore a resemblance to a perfectly smoothened out stone slab, and the odd designs resembling ancient runes engraved on its walls gave the building an eerie aura.

Kazou barely made out multiple passageways connected to the hall the group had just left that led to both structures, and at the same time recalled that he had encountered one of the buildings before during his morning run. Not wanting to let the opportunity of understanding the school's layout better slip by him, Kazou decided it was better to ask than to be left in the dark.

"So um, regarding those two buildings," Kazou jerked his thumbs in opposite directions, pointing each one in the general direction of both buildings. "What're those for?"

"What, did you not read the map provided on the school pamphlet?" Nagachi scoffed at Kazou's question.

"Well, I _have_ read it, but…" Kazou frowned. The student had been exhausted when he attempted to memorize the design of the school's facilities, so the possibility that he had failed to note the presence of the other buildings was there. "I don't remember those two being in the back of the school."

"Back of the school? You need to get your eyes checked," Nagachi sniggered once more as he adjusted his glasses. "We're only in the middle of the school. This is the _garden_. The back is further in."

"Nagachi, you should just answer his question. Wouldn't harm anyone, you know?" Osamu sighed before pointing towards the building whose tips threatened to pierce the skies. "That one over there is where the classrooms of the third years are. They get a block all to themselves, what with them being seniors and all, compared to us first and second years who have to share the main building."

"So there's special treatment for the seniors, huh?" Kazou mumbled to himself. Now it made sense why some of the students had no idea what was happening when they gathered around the front gate after his battle with Loki and Thor. While they could see the lightning and ice that had been emitted that day, the third years probably could not see the exact cause, and only went to the front gates out of pure curiosity. Shifting his gaze to the other building, Kazou pointed at it as he asked Osamu, "What about that one?"

"That runic looking one is where all the special club related areas are. Things such as the basketball court and the like," Osamu calmly explained. "I even heard that there was a dojo in there."

"Wait, they have multiple _separate_ halls aside from the one we just went out from? The heck does the school want to do with so much space?" Kazou did not bother to hide his surprise.

"Aside from providing room for the Persona battles?" Nagachi rolled his eyes at Kazou's ignorance. "Have you never even noticed that the number of students attending Pegutori High is still slowly rising?"

"So they're still trying to get even more students with the potential to use the power of Persona into their grasp…" Kazou swore softly as he turned his gaze away from the building. No one in the group responded to him now that the topic of conversation had turned to that of Personae, and the six continued to make their way towards the backyard of the school silently.

As the group moved, Kazou took in the sight of the multitude of flora spread out before them, the exotic plants providing the area with a foreign look. Although Nagachi had told him that the location they were in was merely the school garden, Kazou felt like all of them were travelling through a jungle instead. After the short period of infinite coldness he had experienced in the hall though, the humidity in the air was welcomed to no end by the student.

The wall around the school that prevented students from leaving seemed to melt away into the greenery around them, and Kazou found his eyes continuously shifting their focus from one plant to another in wonder. Although the bizarre plants would have been out of place if they were seen by themselves, inside the confines of the garden, they seemed to seamlessly blend in perfect harmony. There was, however, an important detail that Kazou noticed: seasonal trees such as cherry blossoms in the garden were in full bloom, even though the student knew that it was nowhere close to that time of the year for the trees to flower.

The student's eyes followed some of the petals of the cherry blossom tree as they drifted to the floor, joining the dry leaves on the ground that spread out all over the garden. Just like it was with the huge trees at the front of the school, the amount of leaves that had fallen off their branches inside the garden was overwhelming, even more so due to the vast number of flora in the area.

Finally tiring of moving through what appeared to be an infinite maze of plants, Kazou started to direct his attention the other five students around him. As his eyes passed by Yuri and Zak, the student noticed that the two seemed to be on a lookout for something. Both of them had been unusually quiet throughout the trip, consistently turning their heads to survey the surroundings every few seconds, and this behavior appeared highly erratic compared to the calmness the rest of the group showed. Before Kazou could ask either one what they were doing though, Osamu clapped his hands and drew the attention of the Persona users towards him.

"Right, so you're all probably why we're here. The answer is simple, really," The gray eyed student had stopped the group in the middle of a clearing with shrubbery all around them. The trees above them offered some decent shade, and the occasional sounds of birds and insects could be heard as Osamu spoke. "I don't want yet another repeat of what had already taken place twice before me. Now that I know for sure that my theory about someone sending Persona users after us is true, we'll need to find an area that the six of us would be easily able to call our own personal base of sorts. Somewhere that is only known to the six of us here."

"And you would pick somewhere in the middle of what's currently looking like a forest?" Zak raised an eyebrow at Osamu.

"Actually, once we proceed past this clearing, we'd really be at the back of the school," Nagachi looked at Kazou smugly as he spoke. "Osamu and I did some exploring earlier this week after our battle. It turns out there're a couple of extra facilities here, and more than enough space for us to decide upon a meeting zone."

"One of those facilities you mentioned is the amphitheater, isn't it?" Reikio winced as he recalled the battle he had with Thor and his user in the stadium. "I can still remember that damn Thor and his hammer of lightning sending me flying inside the arena the other day."

"Ah, so you've been here before?" Osamu's eyes lit up. "That's good news. You can guide us around to any good spots hidden from prying eyes."

"Guide? I can help you with that," A smooth voice sounded from the plants beside the group, and the students looked around themselves in alarm as a handsome tanned male with hair tinted slightly orange stepped out from behind one of the trees. "Oh, sorry, did I pick a bad time to intrude upon your super secret group conversation?"

Kazou frowned at the male as the latter shrugged, causing the ponytail hanging at the base of his neck to bob slightly. His eyes were the same calming orange color of his hair, although they were much more vibrant and shone with the light of knowledge. His overall graceful body build complemented the black uniform the male was wearing well, although Kazou's eyes were naturally drawn to the feather insignia emblazoned on his collar. The student cursed inwardly; another councilor was the last thing the group needed if they wanted to put a stop to the school's activities.

"Hmm, must have left you all speechless with my appearance," the male looked at the flabbergasted users before him with a relaxed expression before continuing, "Regardless, let me welcome all of you to the school's backyard, which also happens to be the area I'm in charge of. I'm sure you will find that time is relative here."

"Michael, there's something I need to bring to your attention," Gabriel appeared behind the male's back as if she had been there the entire time, and Kazou heard Osamu grunt in exasperation. It was disturbing how the councilors of the school always seemed to show up no matter where they went. Gabriel's eyes darted around the Persona users in the clearing before she told them straightforwardly, "The rest of you. I highly suggest you leave within the next few seconds."

"What's your problem?" Yuri growled at the councilor. "We got here first."

"Suit yourself, then. Don't regret it later though," Gabriel answered smoothly before she turned to the male whom she had addressed as Michael. "I was thinking of bringing up this topic with _him_, but I figured I might as well go through it with you first. Earlier today, there was someone who looked completely out of place in the school. Perhaps it was her behavior or her odd demeanor, but either way, I'll need you to check on her past activities for me."

"Is it so urgent that you couldn't wait until the day was over to inform me of this?" Michael stepped away from the other councilor as he bent down to inspect one of the flowers in the garden, apparently disinterested in what the other party has to say.

"Taking into account that I think she's responsible for the unnatural death of one of the Persona users this afternoon in the cafeteria, and considering the fact that she's _approaching this very area as we speak?_ I'd say yes."

The eyes of the four Persona users who had been around Osamu's opponent when he imploded looked at Gabriel in shock as they took in what the councilor had just said. The sounds of the wildlife around them stifled suddenly, and a sinister silence hung in the air as the clouds in the skies overhead blotted out the sun. The clearing the students were in suddenly appeared a lot more threatening with the darkness that had overtook the area. With the departure of the sun's warm rays, the freezing feeling that Kazou had experienced in the hall gripped his heart once again.

A sharp ringing sound cut through the air, the source originating from Zak's pocket. The noise caused all of the students to look at the youth, who took out his mobile phone from his pocket and looked at it glumly.

"Aren't you going to pick it up?" Reikio was beginning to find it difficult to speak in the tension filled air, and the false alarm the student had received had caused his heart to start pumping rapidly.

"Ah, right. Yeah," Zak's voice was distracted, and he took a quick glance at his surroundings before answering the call. "Hello?"

Kazou's attention wasn't focused on what the youth had to say into the phone, and instead the sound around him seemed to drain away into a dark vortex as the student trembled with an inexplicable fear. Even though he was surrounded by seven other people, Kazou had never felt this desolated before in his entire life. This feeling of isolation was only amplified by the coldness around him, which seemed to have doubled in intensity compared to when the student was in the hall earlier.

As Kazou watched, a horrifying dark humanoid figure treading on thin air emerged from the shrubbery in the distance, slowly making its way towards him. The darkness the figure possessed seemed to reek out of its slim body as it approached, the long cloak it wore around its waist fluttering with a nonexistent wind. The belt securing the kilt had the symbol of a skull with two bones crossed behind it, and Kazou recognized the unmistakable outline of a scabbard hanging by its hips.

Its metallic head twitched with every movement the figure made, causing what appeared to be its disjointed lower jaw to open even wider in a permanent sarcastic scowl. The chains attached to the figure's shoulders clinked with each step it took, causing the cape of coffins it wore to spread outwards in a menacing fashion. Though the design on the coffins were those of a composed looking human priest holding a sword downwards, Kazou felt that the intentions of the figure seemed to be anything but peaceful.

Looking around at the other students surrounding him, Kazou realized that none of them seeming to take notice of the threatening figure as it drew closer. Even though it was in plain sight, not one person except for himself registered the presence of the sinister figure.

_Don't you see it? It's coming for me!_

The words of the student he had witnessed dying during lunchtime came back to Kazou. It was at this point that Kazou realized he was feeling what Osamu's opponent had felt moments before he died. The chills he had felt suddenly seemed to make sense as he looked upon the figure, feeling an infinite abyss of darkness swirling within it. The icy feelings that had assaulted him time and again…it was the coldness of the grave.

_Death. It's death._

The figure's terrible maws seemed to hang open even wider as Kazou came to the realization of what the being before him truly was. Flexing its fingers, the embodiment of death stood before the student, eyes pulsing with a crimson light as it gripped the hilt of the blade by its side with its white gloves. Try as he might though, Kazou found that he was completely rooted to the spot by fear, only able to look on in hapless horror as the figure drew its weapon and held it high before him. A ghastly howl escaped the creature's throats, and a split moment later, the silver blade dropped.

_I'm going to die._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: And so I have managed to (somehow) merge canon with fanon. I have also managed to destroy the cheerful and happy image everyone had of Minako.<strong>

**Also, if you're going to complain about how Evokers shouldn't have existed when Minako was still captured in my story…notice how I never stated how long she was held prisoner for. (I did place a hint though. A very big one.)**

**I hope this chapter gave you a better idea of what the school actually looks like…though it doesn't matter if it didn't. I already have a layout of the school written down, and it's only to help me get some environmental quirks in if necessary when I'm writing a battle. (Like I said, it's all about the battles.)**

**If I made any typos that happened to escape my proofreader's eyes, please forgive me. I woke up at four in the morning to do some parts of this chapter, and I might have made some ridiculous mistakes.  
><strong>

**As for the next chapter, as I mentioned in the earlier author's note, don't expect it any time soon. Now with that said, the next chapter involves battles. _And_ a wildcard. It's going to be a blast to write.**

**Proofreader's Notes: Not that the environment of the school was not detailed, but I'll love me some wonderful areas not seen in normal schools. Makes for wonderful fights, no?**

**And some wonderful scenes, I guess.**


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